WEATHER Archives - HazardCo AU

Kick off the New Year safely on site

The holidays are done and dusted, and it’s time to ease back into work. Reopening your site safely is just as important as shutting it down properly and the New Year is the perfect chance to reset, refocus, and set the tone for the months ahead.

After a couple of weeks off, it’s normal for the team to have a bit of Mondayitis. So on day one, take it slow and run through a few key steps to get everyone back on track safely.

Start with a kick-off Toolbox Meeting

Before anyone gets stuck in, hold a Toolbox meeting.
Review SSSP (Site-Specific Safety Plan), walk through emergency procedures, and ensure everyone is fit for work and mentally ready after the break.

Do a Site Review for new hazards

A lot can change while you’re off-site.
Walk the site and note any new hazards or risks, check fences and gates, and make sure everything is still secure.

Inspect structures, scaffolding, and excavations

Weather and time can take a toll. Check scaffolds, excavations, temporary structures, and anything else that could have shifted or been damaged while you were away.

Check tools, equipment, and mobile plant

Before the team starts using anything, run inspections and pre-starts. Make sure tools, gear, and mobile plant are in good working condition.

Ease back into it, safety first

Think about a soft start. Give everyone time to check their work areas, ease into the pace, and remember that safety is the priority.
Also keep in mind: after a couple of weeks relaxing in air-con, people may not be ready for full heat exposure straight away.

Heat Safety: Keep Your Team Cool and Safe

Hot weather brings extra risks, so put simple steps in place to keep your team safe and comfortable.

Provide shade and shelter: Set up shade tents or covered areas outdoors. For indoor work, open windows or use fans to keep air moving.

Keep everyone hydrated and protected: Make sure workers always have access to drinking water, and encourage sunscreen, lightweight clothing, sunglasses, and sun-protective hats.

Watch for signs of heat-related illness: Everyone reacts differently to heat. Keep an eye out for symptoms like:

Dizziness or weakness
Nausea or vomiting
Pale, cool, clammy skin
Rapid breathing
Heat cramps
Dehydration
Confusion, disorientation, or slurred speech
Heavy sweating
Loss of consciousness

If someone shows symptoms, provide first aid and seek medical help if needed.

Know when to stop work

If temperatures get extreme, it might be safer to pause work until conditions improve.
Where possible, shift heavy physical tasks to machinery to reduce heat exposure.

Look out for each other

Safety is a team effort. Remind everyone to check in on their mates and report any heat stress symptoms early. Quick action can stop things from getting worse.

Be prepared this summer

Keep your team’s health, safety, and well-being front of mind as you head into the New Year.
Here are some handy resources to help:

If you need support or have questions, our Advisory Team is here to help on 1800 954 702 .

When you’re able to get back on site after a flood or storm, here are the hazards, risks and control measures you should consider to help reduce the risk of injury and illness to yourself, your workers and others involved in the clean up and repair effort.

Some common hazards following a storm or flood:

Electrical – Water damage, loss of power, damaged electrical installations
Biological hazards and fauna – Contaminated floodwater and displaced fauna
Asbestos – Damaged building materials that contain asbestos
Slips, trips and falls – Uneven surfaces from storm/ floods
Hazardous chemicals – Buried, moved or damaged hazardous chemical containers including corrosives, oils, pesticides
Psychological stress – Remember to check on your team, the emotional impacts of a storm or flood can be overwhelming, particularly if they are dealing with personal damage

Risk Management

Identify the hazards – What are the hazards on your site including any newly introduced hazards due to the storm or flood?
Assess the level of risk – What is the likelihood of exposure to the hazard, and the consequences (what harm could be done)?
Control the risk – Identify and implement suitable control measures and ensure the risk has been reduced to an acceptable level prior to undertaking related work.
Review the control measures – Regularly assess how effective the controls are. It’s important to stop work and reassess if conditions change or if you have introduced any new hazards.

Safety tips when undertaking the cleanup and repair work

Work out the order of the work to be done so that new risks are not introduced, e.g. if you move things in the wrong order is there a possibility of creating instability.
Ensure surfaces are stable and access to areas with unstable floors are safe.
Have a licensed electrical contractor check any electrical appliances or equipment you suspect has been submerged or damaged.
Check in and under objects before attempting to move them as snakes, spiders and other undomesticated animals may be taking refuge from flood waters.
Consider workers performing cleanup in teams/ pairs where possible.
Wash your hands well before eating and drinking, after contact with mud, flood water and contaminated items and equipment.
Make sure that workers have the correct personal protective equipment to prevent injuries such as cuts and scratches or infections from contaminated flood water.
Check that your workers and contractors are not fatigued or potentially unfit to work, i.e due to mental health stressors.
Agree on what situations workers should remove themselves from, where the risk cannot be reduced to an acceptable level. Some work may have to be delayed until water subsides and other factors.
Ensure emergency procedures are discussed for the site with all workers.

Summer is here, are you prepared for the heat?

Summer is here – longer days, sunshine, and the outdoors sound like the perfect conditions to get all that work done. It doesn’t matter what time of year it is, hazards and risks are forever present and summer brings with it its own risks.

Have you thought about what you are doing to protect your team from the effects of the summer sun and heat?

“Slip, Slop, Slap, Seek and Slide” to minimise the obvious risks of sunburn and skin cancer, but we also need to be aware of the risk of heat exhaustion, dehydration and fatigue.

Check out this resource from the Cancer Council that gives some handy tips for working outdoors.

Heat exhaustion

Heat exhaustion occurs when our bodies overheat from the loss of water and salt due to sweating. If left untreated it can lead to heat stroke.

Heat stroke

Heat stroke occurs when the body is no longer able to keep itself cool causing a high body temperature of 39.4 degrees or more.

Heat rash and heat cramps are earlier stages of the onset of heat exhaustion. Knowing the signs and what to do will help prevent the onset of heat exhaustion or worse, heat stroke.

Managing the risks

Planning is key – With the sun at its peak between 10am-4pm, make sure you take regular breaks within this time and where possible arrange work that can be done in covered or shaded areas to be completed during this time period.
Stay hydrated – Drink plenty of water, even when you’re not thirsty, to replace the fluids lost through perspiration.
Slip, Slop, Slap, Seek and Slide: Do this at all times when working out under the sun, even on overcast days as the sun’s rays can still affect you
- Slip on sun protective clothing. Choose clothing that covers as much skin as possible (e.g. shirts with long sleeves and high necks/collars) and is made from close weave materials such as cotton, polyester/cotton and linen.
- Slop on SPF 30 or higher sunscreen. Apply sunscreen to clean, dry skin at least 20 minutes before you go outside and reapply every two hours.
- Slap on a hat. A broad-brimmed or bucket-style hat provides good protection for the face, nose, neck and ears. Try not to wear caps and visors as they do not provide enough protection.
- Seek shade. Whatever form of shade you use, make sure it casts a dark shadow and use other forms of protection to avoid reflected UV radiation from nearby surfaces.
- Slide on some sunglasses. Sunglasses should be worn outside during daylight hours. Choose close-fitting wrap-around sunglasses that meet the Australian Standard AS 1067.
Take it easy – Don’t overdo things. Keep strenuous tasks to a minimum and regularly rotate work tasks.
Listen to your body – Just because the weather is nice and you can work longer to get those jobs done doesn’t mean that you should. Fatigue affects your mental and physical capabilities making it harder for you to concentrate. When we lack concentration is when incidents can occur.
Discussing the effects of the Sun (UV and Heat) at your Toolbox meetings is a great way to remind everyone of this often overlooked environmental hazard. You can easily record your toolbox meetings using the HazardCo App.

First Aid recommendations

If someone is showing signs or symptoms of a heat-related illness, Safe Work Australia has a great resource that gives some handy tips on first aid treatment options. Click here to learn more.

Note: Workers who have underlying medical conditions or health issues can make them more susceptible to heat related illness.

Need Help?

As always, if you have any questions or would like to discuss your work hazards, give our Health and Safety Advisory team a call on 1800 954 702.