Daylight Savings Time – Pay Attention to Safety and Security

We’ve reached that time of the year again when the clocks have gone back an hour (last Saturday night – Sunday morning, in case you hadn’t noticed) so it’s a good opportunity to remind our readers of some safety tips that will help you minimise any risks that occur as a result of the time change.  The clocks going back means that the mornings will be lighter but the evenings will be darker than we’re used to right now.  Not only do we need to be extra careful when it comes to safety, but we also need to take into account the security risks involved.

Research has clearly demonstrated that accidents are more likely to occur during the darker evenings and there’s actually a 10% increase when the clocks go back!  This increase in accidents costs the construction industry as a whole a massive £500 million a year.  Then there’s the additional problem of an increase in theft from construction sites which take place under cover of darkness which pushes that clock-change bill up to nearly a billion pounds.  Today we’re going to take a look at some of the measures that construction site owners and managers can take to counteract these problems.

• Safety Alert – it’s worth issuing a safety alert to warn your employees of the likelihood of an increase in accidents when the clocks change so that they are aware of the problem and can be on the alert.
• Check Lighting – check the whole construction site to ensure that the lights are sufficient for people to work safely after dusk.  If necessary bring in some extra lighting or introduce floodlights.  If you use timers for lighting, make sure that they are updated to align with daylight saving time (DST).
• Fencing and Access Points – check your perimeter fencing on a regular basis and make sure that any weaknesses or areas than may have been tampered with are put right immediately.  Regular perimeter checks are a must for construction sites.
• Security – if you’re concerned about how secure your construction site is when it comes to breaking and entry and any subsequent thefts then why not look into having a CCTV Tower installed.  There are several models available on the market nowadays and it will protect your site from intruders and unauthorized trespassers and any thefts.  The CCTV will also provide a safety audit for the site, allowing evidence of the safety provisions that have been put in place.
• Independent Assessment – sometimes it can be difficult to look at a site you’re familiar with in an objective manner.  If this seems to be the case, then it’s possible to hire the services of an independent assessor from a professional organisation such as VPS Site Security – they offer a free assessment and review of your site’s security.

Making sure that your workforce is alert to the added safety issues that come with the darker nights and paying attention to site security is vital at this time – it will be well worth the effort and will pay you in the long term.