It is important to protect your job site from natural elements, particularly storms. Job sites need to be secure in order to maintain a safe environment during inclement weather. It is important to develop and implement a plan before storm season. Many millions of dollars are lost annually due to the lack of storm preparedness planning across Australia. Making a plan to protect your job site from the elements is a very worthwhile investment.
Table of Contents
Clear Debris
Personnel should be assigned to the daily task of inspecting the job site for debris. It is vital that the construction site is kept clean and that all hazardous objects are removed or tied down each day. Heaving moving equipment can be hired from Mabey Hire and should be used to move items that are large and unwieldy.
Scaffolding
Scaffolding needs to be secured tightly. All unused scaffolding should be dismounted and stored safely.
Pipework
It is very important to protect pipework from any entry of sand or sediment. You need to make sure that drains and underground piping are fully protected from accumulating sand or soil during rain.
Power
Make sure all power lines and electrical connections are disconnected during a storm event. Be very mindful that electricity and puddles are a fatal combination.
Hazardous Materials
Special attention should be paid to adequately covering any hazardous material. Careful storage should eliminate the potential of contamination resulting from a storm or bad weather.
Glass
All glass surfaces including windows and doors need to be covered during storms. The application of masking tape across windows protects them from shattering in particularly wild weather. It is important to ensure that there are no loose objects that could be blown around causing expensive glass breakage.
Booms
If possible booms should be laid down or as a minimum protection the load line should be hooked to the structure at a low point.
Rubbish
All rubbish needs to be collected and placed in a skip. The skip will need to be covered or removed from the job site in stormy or cyclonic weather conditions.
Open Excavations
Open excavations quickly fill with water in the event of heavy rain. Attempt to close any open excavations to prevent this eventuality.
Fencing
Ensure that all temporary fencing is fastened securely or deconstructed during high winds.
Storm Water
Make sure that all storm water channels or catch basins are kept clear of any material or rubbish. It is imperative that storm water can run off without obstruction. Flooding can occur quickly when storm water channels and catch basins are blocked or impeded.
Heavy Equipment
It is a mistake to think that heavy equipment is safe during extreme weather events because of the weight of the equipment. It is important to secure all heavy equipment, things like cranes, lifts and other high altitude equipment.
Clean Up Crew
Have a clean-up crew ready to jump in and clean up any storm damage quickly. Have this crew report any damage.
Photo credits: adamr – freedigitalphotos.net
