8/12/2019 Weather Why Talk About It

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WEATHER - Why talk about it?

Actually, we have no control over rain, snow, sleet, wind, lightning orsunshine. But we can control what happens on our job as a result ofthe elements. Some of the biggest problems on construction jobs arecaused by wind and lightning. Wind probably causes the mostaccidents; lightning can be deadly.

Watch out for Wind

Don t let the wind catch you off guard. ! m not just thin"ing oftornadoes but of everyday winds and une#pected gusts. Wind justloves to pic" up anything it can and sail it away. So when it s windy,

securely tie or weight down supplies and materials.

!t s ama$ing what a little wind can do. Some gusts can pic" up a % # & sheet of plywood from the top of ahigh rise building and carry it several bloc"s. 'r blow you off a platform. 'n one occasion, the wind blewempty ()*gallon drums off a (+*story building. 'ne drum went through the roof of a tool shed. Whatwould have happened if the drum had landed on you -ou d have had more than a giant si$edheadache.

Don t loiter on the leeward side of un*braced walls, lumber stac"s or anything else that can be blown overby a sudden guest of wind. !n many instances, wor"ers have been seriously injured when an un*bracedwall or form was blown over on them while they were sitting in its shade during lunch or before startingwor".

Lightning Hurtsvery so often we read about wor"ers being struc" by lightning. /hey usually come out second best.0ecently a hoo"*up man was electrocuted when lightning struc" the crane boom while he was holding onto the hoo" preparing some materials to be lifted.

We all li"e to "eep things moving until we re rained out. But when lightning is around, it s safer to ta"eshelter early. 1ery often an electrical storm occurs without rain. 'r a lightning storm precedes the rain.So if you re washing down your mi#er, or around other projecting e2uipment or a building, the safest thingto do is to see" shelter when you see lightning.

-ou ll be reasonably safe from lightning inside the structure. -ou ll also be fairly safe in an automobile ortruc". But never ta"e shelter under an isolated tree or where you re in contact with a tractor, crane, or

other e2uipment. !f you get caught out in the open, stay as low as you can. !t s much safer to be down ina ditch than on top of the ground.

Rain Can Ruin a Job

0ain may be good for the farmer but it can play havoc with a construction job. !t can turn it into a giganticmud pie. Water seems to get in everywhere. 0ain can ruin building materials and supplies and generallyma"e things downright messy. Steel gets slippery, e2uipment gets stuc", and we get wet.

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By covering e2uipment, materials, tools, supplies and ourselves, we don t give rain a chance to do asmuch damage as it could.

Controlling the Weather

As ! said, we can control the weather only as far as it affects the job. ! haven t been able to discuss all of

the safety precautions that can be ta"en in case of inclement weather. But common sense usuallydictates the right thing to do in any situation.