Winter working in construction: what you need to know

UK winters may not be as harsh as in other countries, but winter working environments can still be a challenge.

The turn of the season can bring a mix of strongwinds, freezing temperatures, snow, ice, and an awful lot of rain, which can have a huge impact on the Health & Safety of your workers.

So, if you’re going to keep your employees well protected, it’s important to not only take precautions but also ensure your workers are aware of the risks associated with bad weather.

Let’s take a closer look at how to manage your site in the colder months, along with our top safety tips for working in winter.

What kind of weather will sites need to prepare for?

UK winters can be unpredictable, so it’s a good idea to prepare for different weather scenarios to protect your employees and business.

Here are some conditions you’re likely to encounter during the winter months.

High winds

While strong winds can occur at any time of the year, they can be much more frequent and severe in winter. Workers must know how to protect themselves, co-workers, and bystanders from these winds.

This is especially important for those who work at heights. Working at heights is already the most common cause of injury in construction, and the dangers increase dramatically during the winter months.

High winds also mean debris can be blown, potentially causing injuries and damage to your site. Risk assessments are highly recommended here, as they’ll make employees aware of the hazards and help you put controls in place to manage potential issues. This could include making sure materials and structures are secured, or rescheduling tasks where the risk could be increased because of high winds.

Ice

Ice is one of the most dangerous risks associated with winter working, especially, once again, for those who are working from heights. Not only are employees at serious risk of slips, trips and falls, but they may also struggle to operate or drive machinery safely.

This is why it’s really important to keep walkways, working areas, steps, and emergency exits on your site as dry (and clear) as possible. You should grit or salt paths and gangways on your site to prevent ice from forming. Remember that it’s better to grit areas early, before ice has a chance to form.

Cold temperatures

Cold temperatures are the most obvious weather-related obstacle construction workers will face. While there’s no specific law for minimum working temperatures, the Health & Safety Executive (HSE) suggests that indoor workplaces should be a minimum of 16°C (61°F) or 13°C (55°F) if the job involves physical work. Every available precaution should be taken for outdoor work in colder temperatures.

Workers will need to have the right clothing to carry out their duties effectively. This includes high-quality, water-proof clothing, as well as lots of under-layers such as thermals, tops, and jumpers to help employees stay warm and dry.

Bear in mind that being exposed to cold temperatures for long periods of time could lead to hypothermia, so try to keep winter working hours short if possible. Workers should also shelter somewhere warm when taking breaksto reduce the likelihood of cold-related illnesses. It’s also a good idea to increase the frequency of breaks to give people as much time as possible to recover and warm up.

What can affect winter workers?

Winter working means employees can be affected by new risks and hazards that can impact their health, wellbeing, and ability to do their jobs.

Things that may affect the comfort of your workers include:

Air temperature – Low temperatures can lead to cold stress, numbness, or even hypothermia, making it difficult for workers to perform tasks effectively
Humidity – Dry air can irritate skin and respiratory systems, while excessive moisture can feel uncomfortable
Air velocity or wind speed – Wind can intensify the feeling of cold and strip away body heat
Clothing – Inadequate or poorly layered clothing reduces insulation and can expose workers to the cold
Duration of exposure – The longer someone is exposed to cold environments, the greater the risk of adverse health effects such as fatigue and hypothermia

These are key areas you should consider in your risk assessment. If you’d like to know more about writing a risk assessment statement, you can check out our advice here.

What can I do to protect site workers?

Winter working can be dangerous, so you’ll need to stay vigilant. New hazards and risks can pop up unexpectedly, so you should regularly review your processes to make sure they’re as efficient as possible.

Act fast to spot cold-related injuries

Winter working on construction sites means higher risk of cold-related injuries. So you’ll need to be able to identify these issues quickly to prevent your workers from getting ill.

Look out for signs including:

Shivering
Cold and pale skin including blue lips
Slurred speech
Fast breathing
Tiredness
Confusion

These may be signs of hypothermia, which may require first aid.

Be ready to provide help and assistance

You should have specific protocols in place to help workers who are showing symptoms of hypothermia.

To help keep workers safe, you may need to:

Move the injured person indoors
Remove wet clothing and get them dry
Wrap them in blankets
Give them a warm, non-alcoholic drink like tea
Offer them food that contains sugar

As contradictory as it may seem, do not warm the afflicted person up quickly, as this can cause circulatory issues. Don’t use heating pads or electric blankets, and don’t rub individual limbs. Likewise, don’t give them alcohol or cigarettes during this time. The body has to warm up slowly, so don’t rush it and be ready to call an ambulance on 999 if needed, or the NHS helpline on 111 for advice.

Implement control measures

If you’re managing a construction site in winter, you’ll need to put the right procedures in place to ensure workers are protected and work is carried out properly.

You should:

Ensure personal protective equipment (PPE) and weather monitoring instruments are up to standard.
Conduct regular site inspections to identify and assess hazards, especially after strong winds and heavy rain/snowfall.
Provide mobile facilities for warming up and encourage workers to drink warm fluids like hot drinks and soup (make sure you’ve got facilities in place to provide at least one of these, even if that’s just a bunch of filled thermoses).
Ensure your site has adequate lighting to improve worker visibility and safety, particularly during darker hours.
Introduce more frequent rest breaks to limit workers’ exposure to harmful weather.
Allow equipment and tools to heat up properly to avoid damaging them.
Consider delaying work – can projects be undertaken at warmer times of the year without compromising on safety?
Stock up on essentials like grit, salt, heaters and hazard signage.
Educate workers about recognising the early symptoms of cold stress so they can manage their health and wellbeing.

It’s also really helpful to take an HSA course to further your understanding of potential risks, hazards, and personal responsibilities for safety.

Working in winter safety tips

With so many risks on the table, sites will need to be as proactive as possible to keep workers safe during winter.

Our key working in winter safety tips include:

Prepare your site
Plan for difficult conditions
Pay attention to potential hazards
Provide the right PPE
Help workers keep warm
Think about mental health and wellbeing

Let’s take a closer look at these precautions in detail.

1. Prepare your site

Before winter arrives, you’ll need to prepare your site ahead of time.

This involves staying on top of equipment maintenance, which is an absolute essential. Make sure all your machinery, tools and vehicles are maintained properly, and check for any signs of wear and tear. You should replace worn or damaged parts and apply lubrication where needed.

Getting prepared also means conducting site inspections to help you identify potential risks and hazards like uneven surfaces, mud and waterlogging. Once you’ve identified a risk, be sure to address it quickly to prevent accidents from happening.

2. Plan for difficult conditions

UK winters can be hard to predict, so make sure you plan for different scenarios. Check weather forecasts to help you meet adverse conditions and plan your workload effectively. Statistically, December is the wettest month on average (according to the last 10 years of ONS data), and freezing temperatures can quickly make already slippery wet surfaces even more dangerous.

We’d recommend developing flexible work schedules where possible to keep up with changing weather. By keeping a level of flexibility in your plan, you can give yourself some wiggle room and avoid project delays as best you can.

You should also make sure you have detailed emergency plans in place, which include evacuation procedures and contact information for emergency services. Remember to review and update these emergency plans on a regular basis.

3. Pay attention to potential hazards

While it’s always important to monitor hazards on your site, it’s even more critical in winter when working conditions worsen.

Accidents like trips, slips and falls are common during winter working thanks to wet and icy weather. And these can sometimes have fatal consequences.

To reduce these risks, make sure workers are wearing appropriate footwear that has good grip and support. These should be worn at all times. You should also consider using temporary platforms or walkways to help workers avoid muddy or slippery areas, and ensure walkways are always clear of snow, ice and mud. Cover walkways with salt and grit to stop ice from forming or to help melt existing patches, and provide a little extra grip for boots.

4. Provide PPE

This is essential for keeping your workers safe. Hard hats should be worn at all times to help workers stay protected from falling objects like icicles, as well as falls and slips on ice. Appropriate gloves and mittens should also be worn, especially when workers are climbing scaffolding, ladders, or construction equipment.

Warm weather gear should never interfere with PPE, so make sure workers understand this. While wearing a woolly hat or a hood underneath a hard hat may keep workers warm, it can reduce the effectiveness of the PPE.

Remind workers that there are solutions available that work well with PPE, such as hard hat liners which can provide an added layer of warmth without sacrificing safety.

5. Help workers keep warm

During cold weather conditions, it’s vital to keep construction workers warm and safe. This means providing a warm, sheltered area where workers can take their breaks and prevent prolonged exposure.

It’s also important to make sure workers’ hands and feet stay warm and dry. If hands are exposed, the risk of frostbite increases, and if workers’ feet get cold and damp, they can end up with serious hygiene issues like trench foot. This can lead to tissue damage if not treated properly.

Making sure workers have high-quality gloves and work boots where necessary is a simple and easy way to help mitigate these risks.

6. Think about mental health and wellbeing

This might not be one of the most obvious risks to workers on your construction site, but it shouldn’t be overlooked.

Reduced daylight hours in winter can sometimes lead to seasonal affective disorder (SAD) – a seasonal depression that can impact people’s day-to-day activities. Symptoms include low mood, fatigue, and difficulty concentrating which is not only an issue for a worker’s mental health, but can also lead to dangerous mistakes at work that can put their physical health at risk, too.

It’s something your workers may be experiencing during the winter months, so make sure you and your team have the right processes and systems in place to provide support like a mental health policy or a support network.

Safer winter working with Smas Worksafe

Winter is a harsh time for those working in construction, and the risks of injury and accidents dramatically increase. Make sure you’re aware of your environment and its risks, and do what you can to keep workers protected.

Remember that being proactive is better than being reactive. Weather conditions should always be considered when creating a safe system of work, so take these into account when planning, preparing and maintaining your site.

At Smas Worksafe, we’ve helped thousands of businesses like yours commit to Health & Safety. Whether you need SSIP certification, CITB training courses or an HSA training course, we’re on hand with knowledge, skills and insights to keep your workforce safe and compliant. Simply reach out to our friendly team to find out more, or give us a call on 01752 280183 to see how we can help.