Winter Safety: How SSIP Keeps Construction Sites Safe in Cold Weather

As the cold begins to creep in, it’s important to stay on top of your game with Health & Safety. Whether it’s ice or wind, the winter can take its toll on construction sites. But with SSIP accreditation, we know you’ll have all the necessary procedures in place to manage cold weather site safety.

Our Health & Safety experts have compiled a list of reasons why SSIP can help keep construction sites stay safe in cold weather, as well as some winter construction safety tips.

If an accident were to happen, then the SSIP-accredited contractors that you brought in would effectively report the incident and carry out a follow-up investigation, highlighting the potential hazards and dealing with any safety adjustments that need to be made. Without an accident reporting and investigation process that looks into the details behind the accident and how it can be prevented from happening again, the hazard could still remain.

Here are some winter construction safety tips to take note of during the winter months.

Look out for ice

Ice is a common hazard that affects construction sites when it gets cold. Whether that’s because of workers slipping or machinery/vehicles facing tough conditions. The HSE share the following advice on ice, frost and snow:

• To reduce the risk of slips on ice, frost or snow, you need to assess the risk and put in a system to manage it.
• Identify the outdoor areas used by pedestrians most likely to be affected by ice, for example: – building entrances, car parks, pedestrian walkways, shortcuts, sloped areas and areas constantly in the shade or wet.
• Monitor the temperature, as prevention is key.
• Put a procedure in place to prevent an icy surface forming and/or keep pedestrians off the slippery surface;
  • Use grit or similar, on areas prone to be slippery in frosty, icy conditions;
  • Consider covering walkways eg by an arbour high enough for people to walk through, or use an insulating material on smaller areas overnight;
  • Divert pedestrians to less slippery walkways and barrier off existing ones.

Consider strong winds

Strong winds can severely increase the danger of working at heights, and during the winter months, storms become even more common. Making sure staff have all the training they need to stay safe at heights when it’s windy and understand the measures that need to be taken is vital.

Provide PPE

PPE such as hard hats are crucial when working on a construction site, especially during the winter, for various reasons. One is to protect workers’ heads from slips and falls on ice, and another is to avoid any head injuries from falling objects or items when it gets windy.

Other forms of PPE include:

• Gloves
• Waterproof boots/Non-slip boots
• Goggles/Safety glasses

Stay warm

If staff aren’t warm enough, it could hinder mobility and many other things, which could potentially lead to an accident. Not only that, it could also result in workers becoming ill due to working outdoors for long periods and being too cold.

By wearing waterproofs, workers can stay dry throughout the day and not continue to work in damp clothes, which could lead to conditions such as hypothermia. So, layering up when it gets cold can help avoid these issues and prevent accidents.