We’re back to those dark mornings and frozen car windows. Now that we’ve dug out our thermals from the back of our wardrobe, we’re here to advise on what you can do to make sure your construction is prepared for winter. In this post, we’ll also talk about what you can do to ensure your workers and plant equipment are looked after in harsh conditions.
Things to stay on top of
First, let’s briefly touch upon the necessities:
- Workers should be provided with suitable safety equipment and PPE to keep them fully insulated and protected from the cold weather. When working on and digging in frozen ground, eye protection is crucial.
- Ensure walkways and pathways on site are gritted to prevent workers from slipping.
- When experiencing extreme weather conditions such as storms, site materials and equipment must be secured and raised above any known flood levels.
Safety first
Health and safety should be monitored throughout the year. Within the construction industry, falls are the most common cause of injury and death, so with slippery surfaces and more rainfall, it’s paramount that you take the time to make sure all health and safety precautions are taken.
Prepare for inevitable disruptions
During colder months, disruptions on construction sites can often be unavoidable, be it a fuel delivery or absent workers. However, with the right preparations, you can minimise the impact of delays on your site.
A key thing to do regularly is to check the weather forecast. Both short and long-term forecasts will give you the extra heads up before any disruptive weather conditions, giving you time to prepare the site, machinery, and your team.
Get it in the calendar, hire machinery in advance
By staying prepared with proper scheduling, regardless of your project, you can be sure that getting your plant machinery and equipment will be the one thing you won’t have to worry about.
Here at Rockthorn, we’re dedicated to delivering the heavy machinery and equipment you need, when you need it, straight to your site. From an army of excavators to power generators and lights, we’ll ensure your machinery arrives. By booking it in advance, we can keep an eye on the weather and ensure the delivery is planned accordingly.
Break the day up with adequate staff welfare facilities
No one likes being caught out in the rain. Keeping your site workers safe and protected from any extreme weather conditions is just as (if not more) important as keeping your site machinery and materials safe.
Welfare units can be used throughout the year but are especially handy during the winter months. Having an adequate break space for staff to shelter and take a rest from work is crucial to give them the opportunity to dry off, warm up and pop the kettle on.
Ensure you’ve got the right equipment and attachments
Making sure you have suitable equipment and attachments for your machinery for extreme weather conditions will reduce the chance of disruption. For projects that involve digging foundations and laying concrete, delays from the weather are highly common due to the conditions needed for the concrete to set.
However, for jobs that involve drilling, a wide range of breaker attachments can be hired and installed to keep your equipment running how it should.
Rely on Rockthorn to help with winter site prep
The weather may be doom and gloom, but your plant hire doesn’t have to be. We provide reliable and trusted plant hire across the UK and can even supply you with the relevant plant machine attachments. We offer an operated plant hire service too, so you don’t need to worry with training staff on a temporary machine.
Give us a call on 0330 118 5030 or email us at hire@rockthorn.co.uk to find out how we can help you.