Is Your Project Ready For Winter?

With the short days and long nights, it’s not hard to tell that winter is upon us. Weather conditions have rapidly gotten harsher and even the simplest tasks have seemed more difficult. Many projects will see snow and some will get rain. Winter is in full swing. Is your project ready for the season? 

During poor weather, production may be slowed, or even have to stop for safety reasons. Materials can’t be lifted in high winds. Workers have to take more frequent rest breaks when working at extreme temperatures and their movement could be hampered by cold weather or rain clothes. Concrete could take longer to set and reach sufficient strength to strip forms.

Rain slows and even stops production. Storm-water can flood excavations, damaging equipment, causing excavations to collapse and generally delay construction work. Rain can penetrate partly completed buildings damaging finishes and equipment. Storm-water flowing from the project can erode away neighbouring properties, or deposit silt or contaminated material from your project site onto neighbouring properties.

Preparing your project for winter.
There is much to be done on projects while the weather is still good.

1. Make your project weather-tight. For those on building projects, your aim should be to get your building weather-tight, which will allow work to continue inside even while temperatures outside plummet. Working additional hours now to ensure your building is weather-tight could be well worth the additional costs.
2. Complete all groundwork before the onset of poor weather.
3. Check storm-water drains and gutters before the onset of wet weather. Often construction debris blocks storm-water drains. Sometimes drains are damaged by construction work or connections aren’t done properly. While the weather is still good clean and test drains and gutters to ensure there aren’t blockages and that they are all functioning. Blocked drains can lead to flooding and property damage. Nobody wants to go outside in a fierce winter storm to fix a problem that should have been sorted when the weather was still good.
4. Ensure that there’s sufficient stock of wet weather and cold weather gear. Unfortunately, your team often has to work in wet and cold conditions. Without the right gear, your project will lose productivity and time.
5. It could be prudent to have a stock of weatherproof coverings and tarpaulins available to protect unfinished work. It may even be advisable to have water pumps (with sufficient pipes) available in case excavations and basements become flooded.
6. The sun is rising later and setting earlier, with less daylight to work in. Consider reducing working hours to fit the new daylight hours. Otherwise, check that there’s sufficient lighting to enable work to safely proceed.
7. Check the site access roads to ensure they will be accessible even in the worst weather.
8. Review hazard assessments to ensure that they take account of the changed weather conditions. Hold tool-box meetings (tailgate, pre-start or safety meetings) to discuss the new risks with your crews.
9. Check that all materials are stored in such a way that they won’t be damaged by unfavourable weather.
10. In areas prone to severe winter storms, allocate someone to regularly monitor weather warnings. Sometimes, even a few hours warning could provide sufficient time to lock the project down, ensuring materials and equipment are safely stowed away, new work is protected and workers are safely out of harm’s way.
11. Remember, bad weather can sometimes close transport routes for days, so ensure there is always sufficient stock of critical materials such as fuel. You don’t want your crew standing around because of a shortage of materials.
12. Ensure that the project records all weather events which could be the reason for a delay claim. It’s difficult to ask for an extension of time because of poor weather if you don’t have all the facts and figures that contributed to the delay. It’s important to maintain accurate weather records.
13. Check that your construction schedule has allowed slack for the anticipated poor weather of the next few months. It may pay to try and get ahead of the schedule while the weather allows, especially items that’ll be impacted by poor winter weather.
14. Check that water pipes are protected from freezing
15. Ensure that all equipment is ready for the cold weather, and check that there’s stock of snow chains for tires if they’re required.

Note, that even weather events far from the project could cause delays by blocking transport routes and preventing materials reaching the project. Work in offsite facilities could be impacted by poor weather at these locations.

Milder climates
Of course, some states are fortunate to have milder climates without rain and freezing temperatures. These cooler dry days offer opportunities to maximise productivity and progress. Ensure your crews make the most of the good weather.

Conclusion

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