During the winter months, these incidents increase as both the darkness of the season and poor weather conditions make construction sites more difficult to navigate.
Under the law, all construction sites must be deemed in ‘good order’, which means it’s not only best practice but your legal obligation to keep a clean and tidy site.
To help you navigate managing your waste on-site during the winter months, we’ve revealed the key areas you should look at to keep your site and team safe.
Clear Access
Gaining clear access both onto the site and around the site ensures that workers can move freely, without incurring an injury or accident.
Clear access is also vital in case of an emergency, as people need to be able to leave a site quickly and safely should an emergency occur on site.
The same is also required from any deliveries or waste removal services you use on-site.
While skips can block drive-aways and roads, a grab hire lorry can move and navigate around any site terrain, ensuring that no emergency exits are blocked.
Working with your site manager, you should assign where the best place for deliveries and services can access the site. This will also ensure that any collections or deliveries can be easily facilitated in all weather conditions.
It is critical that waste does not block any type of access point.
As trips, slips and falls are more common in the winter months due to snow, rain and ice, all waste should be removed out of the way of workers. Even going so far as to make sure that no waste can be blown, or move into the path of someone working on site.
Plan Ahead
When you know you’re working on a project that will create large amounts of waste plan waste removal ahead to ensure, it can be taken away quickly.
Scheduling regular visits from a grab hire lorry will ensure that large amounts of waste don’t begin to pile up and cause hazards.
At AJ Grab Hire, we work in partnership with many large construction and building companies to ensure waste is consistently removed from the site, and not obstructing further work or the movement of people.
Safe Spaces
Create dedicated spaces for your waste so that it doesn’t interrupt the work schedule or become a hazard to those working in low visibility.
As a site manager, you should identify good spaces onsite where waste can be managed. This helps to keep it out of the way of people working, and in a space that can be easily accessed by a grab hire lorry.
The waste spaces may move place as your project progresses, but keeping this in consideration is key in ensuring that waste is not travelling across the site, or creating hazards in key working areas.
Tidy Work Areas
Keep all work areas tidy to ensure that no waste is blocking or causing a hazard to those working in the area.
Having a member of your team on waste duty, keeping a site clean and clear will help to avoid any accidents. For any internal refurbishments inside a building, consider whether you need to use wheelbarrows or chutes to move the waste safely away from the building.
By having one key individual responsible for waste management, you can keep the site clear and clean, and your workers safe from any potential trip or slip hazards.
Train Your Team
Train and educate your team on the dedicated waste areas to ensure they are following your health and safety rules.
A waste removal process is only as good as those following it.
Show your team where the waste site is each morning, and continue to explain the importance of why the waste process is in place.
A team who is on board with the process will keep each other accountable, and may even be able to provide solutions to waste problems as the project progresses.
Under health & safety, it is paramount that your workers are carrying out work to the expected standards and are well aware of the waste removal process.
For more information on how our waste removal services can help you maintain a safe site, contact our team at AJ Grab Hire.
AJ Grab Hire
Head Office:
Langdale Farm
Cambridge Road
Melbourn
Hertfordshire
SG8 6EY
