SAFETY MOMENT, MARCH 10

High wind changes the job at height

See today's safety moment How to give a safety moment

Safety moment, March 10

Storms can build fast, and inclement weather changes every job on site. Lightning can strike before the rain arrives, wind can turn a sheet of plywood into a sail, and rain makes ladders, steel and mud slick. People get hurt when nobody knows who calls the stop or where to go. A plan everyone knows ahead of time takes the guessing out of a bad moment.

SAFETY MOMENT

March 10

The hazard

Storms can build fast, and inclement weather changes every job on site. Lightning can strike before the rain arrives, wind can turn a sheet of plywood into a sail, and rain makes ladders, steel and mud slick. People get hurt when nobody knows who calls the stop or where to go. A plan everyone knows ahead of time takes the guessing out of a bad moment.

The action

Treat wind as high when it can push you off balance or make you lose control of what you are carrying. Work on or from scaffolds is prohibited during storms or high winds. The only exception is when a competent person has determined it is safe and the workers are protected by a personal fall arrest system or wind screens. Tie down or bring in loose sheets, panels and tarps before the wind picks up. (29 CFR 1926.451(f)(12))

ASK THE CREW

Which jobs on this site do we stop first when the wind picks up?

From the talk: Severe weather. Read it in full, free, with the questions and the sign-in sheet.

1910.38

HOW TO USE IT

How to give a safety moment

Gather the crew where they work, before the shift or the meeting starts. Read the hazard out loud.
Ask the question and let two or three people answer. What they say about their own work counts for more than what you read.
Name the action and point to one place on today's job where it applies, so everyone knows what to do differently.
Write the date and the names on a sign-in sheet.

A safety moment is short and does not replace the full talk. When you want to go through a topic with the crew, pick a free toolbox talk.

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