Tips for Working at Height outside in the winter.
Pay Attention to the Weather
Supervisors and managers have the responsibility to monitor the weather and make an educated decision in regard to continuing their operation. It is extremely important to pay attention to the weather to give yourself and your employees plenty of time to prepare, and to be able to get to a safe location before the storms hit. Storms can and will rise quickly, which causes concern to visibility and gusting winds.
Snow and Ice Removal
Ice buildup on the crane can cause danger to personnel below the crane as well as to those working on the crane. Black ice can create fall hazard areas while falling ice can be detrimental to workers and pedestrians below the crane.
Wear the Proper Attire
With winter coming it is important that we dress appropriately for the given conditions; plan ahead, be able to adapt to changes and remember to take care of yourself. Not being prepared can lead to frostbite and illness.
Inspect your Equipment
Freezing weather is not only hard on us but also on our equipment. We need to be sure to thoroughly inspect our equipment for any issues and repair as necessary. This is necessary for many reasons, but above all, the safety of yourself, your employees and any/all by-standers.
Inspect and Care for your PPE
With winter upon us, it is important that we make sure to take care of our harnesses by not letting them sit in the snow, this will cause them to freeze which can damage them, making them unreliable. We also need to ensure that we are performing proper inspections on the equipment as spoken about previously.
Take Care of Yourself
By taking care of ourselves, we are automatically going to remember and follow the steps above. If we can do that, we can make our environment a safer place no matter what the weather brings.
