Avoiding Accidents In The Winter Months

Date: 08/12/22

The winter is not only dark and cold, wet and miserable for anyone working outside, it is also a dangerous time on construction sites. But with a little help from Think Hire, you can make your site safer and more comfortable for your team, saving time and money, and possibly even saving lives.

According to the HSE, construction site injuries cost the industry around £1.4billion every year, with 59,000 non-fatal injuries, 26% of which involved seven or more days of absence. Over a year, around half a million working days were lost to accidents and injuries – that’s 1,370 years!

Causes of winter accidents on site

The winter presents many additional dangers on site:

• Shorter, darker days mean that workers can’t see slip and trip hazards as easily
• Wet and muddy conditions make slips and trips more likely, indoors as well as out
• Ice on walkways, ladders, scaffolding and stairs can make surfaces treacherous
• Cold conditions reduce alertness as workers struggle with low temperatures
• Trailing cables from power supplies can create an additional trip hazard

Fortunately, Think Hire have the plant and equipment you need to help you deal with many of these dangers, keeping your site well-lit, your workforce warm and work boots clean and safe.

Solar site lighting

The most important element of winter site safety is site lighting. Solar site lighting from Think Hire will not only help your workforce by ensuring their workplace is well lit, but it will also ensure that all hazards can be clearly seen. Solar site lighting can be used to illuminate workplaces as well as car parks, walkways and communal areas. This is especially important when the underfoot conditions are slippery due to rainwater, snow or ice. 26% of all non-fatal accidents involve slips, trips and falls, and appropriate lighting helps people to negotiate these hazards safely.

Contrary to popular belief, solar site lighting is still effective even in the winter months, when sunshine can be in short supply. The Eco Solar Tower Light provides eight hours of lighting, five days a week, even in dull winter conditions.

Eco welfare units

Even Think Hire can’t change the weather on site, however our eco welfare units can give between six and thirteen workers a warm, dry place to take their breaks. Warm breaks not only keep workers alert and efficient, they also help to protect their overall health and wellbeing. Think Hire Eco welfare units are designed to provide clean, efficient, cost-effective energy to power heating, lighting and welfare essentials such as microwaves, kettles and toasters.

Boot wash stations

Heavy rain can quickly turn any site into a quagmire of mud and water. Treading this mud inside, into welfare units, offices and other interior spaces can prove very dangerous. The Think Hire boot wash station provides a quick, efficient and environmentally friendly method of cleaning footwear, significantly reducing the risk of slips and the associated injuries.

Portable battery storage

With additional lighting and heating needed in the winter months, sites can often become a dangerous web of trailing cables distributing the power. Think Hire can eliminate this need with portable battery generators that can be placed exactly where power is needed, right across the site. Not only do these units avoid dangerous trailing cables, which may not be as easy to see in the darker months, they also allow sites to use renewable energy site wide, cutting costs and emissions.

Be site safe this winter

To find out more about how Think Hire can help you keep your site safe this winter, while also reducing energy costs and cutting emissions, get in touch with our team today on 0330 133 2222 or use our online contact form.

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