While not as harsh as some areas of the world, UK winters can still pose significant challenges to construction sites.
From harsh weather conditions to reduced visibility, the potential risks to worker safety are substantial. If not addressed properly, these risks could lead to lengthy project delays and severe injuries (or worse) to your workers.
In this article, we look at the essential tips to ensure a safe working environment for you and your team during the winter months.
Prepare your site
Before the true winter months arrive, it’s important to properly prepare your site ahead of time.
Staying on top of equipment maintenance is essential going into the colder weather, so ensure that all machinery, tools, and vehicles are well-maintained and prepared for winter. Check for any signs of wear and tear, replace worn parts, and apply lubrication where needed.
It’s also important to conduct thorough site inspections, as they will help to identify potential hazards such as waterlogging, mud, and uneven surfaces. Once identified, make sure to address these issues promptly to prevent any accidents from happening on-site.
Keep workers safe (and warm!)
Worker safety should always be one of your main priorities on-site, but it especially needs to be prioritised during the winter time.
To keep workers safe, you should encourage them to wrap up and dress warmly in high-visibility clothing. This includes waterproof and windproof out layers, along with insulated boots to protect them from winter’s harsh and sometimes extreme weather conditions.
It’s recommended to offer regular breaks in warm, dry areas as well to allow workers to rest and recover from the cold. While this may result in less time “on the tools”, you’ll find your workers are a lot happier and more productive in the long run from receiving those regular breaks and time to recuperate.
Winter is also the perfect time to reinforce your company’s health and safety training, focusing specifically on the risks associated with winter working condition. This is a good opportunity to ensure all workers know what to do in case of an accident or incident.
Specific hazards to look out for
Slips, trips, and falls are common winter hazards on construction sites thanks to wet weather, and can result in fatal consequences.
To keep workers safe, you need to ensure that appropriate footwear with good grip is worn at all times. You should consider using temporary walkways or platforms to help avoid muddy or slippery areas, and make sure that someone regularly clears walkways of any mud, ice, or even snow.
Reduced visibility is another significant risk that needs to be addressed. We recommend using high-visibility clothing such as jackets and head torches and adding adequate lighting to improve visibility.
Implementing reduced speed limits for on-site vehicles is also recommended to account for poor visibility.
Plan for adverse conditions
UK winters are notoriously hard to predict, but using weather forecasting tools can help to anticipate adverse conditions and plan your workload.
With conditions changing on the fly, it would be wise to develop flexible work schedules (where possible) to accommodate for the changing weather patterns. By having some flexibility in your work schedule, you can give yourself some wiggle room and hopefully avoid costly project delays.
Flooding can also be a significant risk during the winter months in the UK. Recent events, such as the major flooding happening across the country, highlight the importance of preparing for such occurrences.
Ensure your site is elevated to reduce the risk of flooding and if your site is prone to flooding, have a plan in place to move equipment and materials to higher ground. You should consider implementing effective drainage systems to divert water away from the construction site and use temporary flood barriers or pumps to protect the site from minor flooding events.
It is crucial to create detailed emergency plans, including evacuation procedures and contact information for emergency services. These emergency plans should be reviewed and updated on a regular basis.
Additional things to consider
Prioritising vehicle safety during the winter months is very important, as there are a number of things that could easily go wrong.
Ensure that any vehicles used on-site or elsewhere are well-maintained and equipped with tyres that have good tread depth. You should be encouraging safe driving practices among your team, such as reducing speed and increasing following distance, and providing any additional training where needed.
While snow and ice appear sporadically in the UK (and often at the very worst times), it’s still important to have a plan in place for when they do.
Create a system for effectively dealing with snowy and icy conditions, making sure all walkways, steps, and works areas are clear. We also recommend considering the use of de-icing gents or grit to improve traction and reducing the risk of slips, trips, or falls.
Mental health and well-being
Winter can significantly impact worker mental health, and this is something that shouldn’t be overlooked.
The reduced daylight hours during winter can lead to Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD), which is characterised by feelings of sadness, fatigue, and difficulty concentrating. When you work long hours away from your family in a labour heavy job while it’s cold, wet, and dark outside, it’s easy to see why so many suffer during the winter months.
However, there are a number of things you can do to support worker well-being.
You should encourage people to engage in outdoor activity during daylight hours, even if it’s just a short walk. Promoting healthy eating will help to boost moods and energy levels, and encouraging regular exercise will help to reduce stress and improve overall mental health.
You should also offer access to employee assistance programs or schedule time with mental health professionals for those that are struggling. Fostering a supportive and positive work environment where workers feel valued and appreciated is the key to a happy and healthy workforce.
Conclusion
It’s undeniable that the arrival of winter creates even more risk than usual in construction, but as you can see there are ways that we can mitigate these risks and prepare ourselves for staying safe while working in the cold weather.
By implementing the strategies discussed in this article, construction companies can significantly reduce the risks associated with winter work and create a safer and more supportive environment for their workforce.
Have we missed anything? If you’ve got more essential winter safety tips to share, we’d love to hear them. Share this article on social media and tag us @utilitysearches on X (formerly Twitter) or our company LinkedIn page.
Brought in to help take the business to the next level! His role is to improve lead generation and customer satisfaction from over 7,000 registered clients. Jim loves interacting with potential and existing clients and has a wealth of marketing and sales experience through his previous roles at O2, the RAC and TalkTalk. Jim holds a BA (Hons) Business Studies degree majoring in Marketing. A season ticket holder at Liverpool FC and a keen golfer, Jim also loves the gym!