Working in construction is already hazardous due to all the heavy machinery and conditions an employee must operate around. After considering the hazards that already exist on a construction site, you must also think about nature and the elements that workers will have to contend with. The most common one is rain. To protect everyone on the job site, here are some ways to keep construction workers safe in the rain.
Personal Protective Equipment
One of the biggest hazards of rain is how it compromises visibility, making it difficult for workers to stay aware of each other and increasing the likelihood of accidents occurring. To combat this, you should equip workers with high-visibility rainwear. This doesn’t just ensure that workers stay visible in rainy conditions, but it also helps distinguish their forms, which is necessary in construction sites that take place in areas like highways or within cities.
Another factor to consider is that rain often comes with colder temperatures. High-visibility raingear also keeps workers warm and dry while in wet conditions. If your workers are cold and soaked to the bone, their reactions will become sluggish. They may also have trouble performing delicate tasks if they’re constantly shivering.
Improving the Workplace
As for the site itself, your first and foremost need is to provide shelter for your workers to avoid the elements. Another way to keep construction workers safe in the rain is to consider how the rain will make surfaces slick. Wetness can increase the risk of falls, which are already the biggest cause of workplace injuries. Ensure places on site, such as stairs, scaffolding, and other high-risk areas, have handrails and guards as a safety measure.
When it’s raining and cold, you should encourage your workers to drink more water instead of coffee. Something hot like coffee is very tempting, but the caffeine will simply increase their heart rate and leave them feeling colder. Staying hydrated is vital for ensuring workers remain warm.
Operating Machinery
When it comes to using machines like cranes and forklifts in the rain, workers must be conscious of where they place their hands and feet as they climb in and out of them. The surfaces often become very slippery. Moreover, the hard, pointed edges of industrial machinery are unforgiving if someone falls. When a worker operates a machine in the rain, they need to be proactive in their awareness of their surroundings. The last thing anyone wants to do is accidentally injure a coworker with industrial machinery.