Three issues of working in the winter months – and how to fix them

Working in the winter is never fun. You’re leaving for work when it’s dark, coming home when it’s dark and the British weather is just a nightmare.  

It’s cold, it’s wet, it’s windy and the halcyon days of British Summer Time feel a world away. If you’re working on a site, all of this is amplified by 100.  

It’s one thing dealing with the above issues when you’re working indoors, but it’s a different beast entirely when you’re tasked with construction.  

Sadly, it is impossible to mitigate all of the issues of working in the winter months fully, however, there are a few things you can do to help.  

Most of these solutions come from external heat and light. No-one can control the weather or get Mother Nature to turn the thermostat back up, so having these appliances on a site will help.  

In the interest if objectivity, we will state now that we supply both external heat and light options. However, that is not why we are writing this article.  

In this article, we have picked three of the key problems when working in the British winter. In addition, we have suggested some solutions to combat them. 

Problem one – safety issues 

People tripping over things or slipping over can happen at the best of times, of course, but incidents are more likely in the winter.  

With snow, rain and ice playing a part as the temperature gets colder, it’s little wonder the risks are much higher. No-one wants to suffer an injury from slipping over. 

As such, it’s naturally very important to ensure that the area is kept as safe as possible. One way of dealing with this is by having external light sources, so people can clearly see where slip areas are.  

Ironically, this can cause another potential slip risk with the cables, but having a well-lit area should be of the utmost importance. Visibility is key to construction sites, so having some unnatural lighting in place to keep sight clear can only be a good thing.  

When the winter snap really kicks in, removing snow and ice from the site needs to be imperative too. However, this also needs to be treated with caution.  

Shovelling snow isn’t a fun task and for those who maybe aren’t in the best shape, this can be dangerous.  

The cold can make it harder to catch your breath after physical activity, so those who may consider themselves unfit should be careful. As such, great care needs to be taken with this, before grit is applied to keep the site safe.  

Problem two – staying warm 

We all feel the effects of the cold differently; the sight of a Premier League footballer wearing gloves with a short-sleeved shirt is proof of that.   

However, while there are some with a grin-and-bear-it type of attitude, prolonged time spent in freezing conditions is dangerous.  

The risks of hypothermia or frostbite in freezing conditions are no joke and are very real. There’s also a risk of tissue damage to forcing your way through in the cold as well.  

One solution to this is wearing more PPE. Gloves especially are important, but it’s equally as important not to wear too much PPE in case you lose mobility.  

As bizarre as it is to say, you can be over-protected from the cold and that can have an impact on your work capacity, too.  

One solution to the cold is to have a designated warm area with portable heaters. This can breathe much-needed life into your hands and give you some time to recharge.  

Also, having access to hot drinks is important for the cold. Whether it’s tea, coffee, hot chocolate or just hot water, having something warm to sip and to keep hands warm is always good.  

Problem three – equipment performance takes a hit 

One of the more frustrating aspects of construction in the winter is the tools you’re using themselves. This is especially relevant for carpenters, who are frequently using nail guns.  

It’s no secret that in the cold, nail guns can be very difficult. They start to misfire more and they don’t seem to have as much power at times.  

This is because the gas cell needs to be warm before use. As such, a frequent sight is of carpenters rubbing gas cells with their hands in an attempt to warm them up or taking them out from their pockets.  

This is also where having a designated warm area can help. In the instance of the gas cells for the nail guns, you’d be able to get some heat into it first before going out, thus limiting any malfunction.  

Naturally, we would add here that you don’t put a gas cell directly in front of a portable header, but being in a warmer environment will help it.  

In addition, you may have building materials that need to be warm before use. Having a designated warm area can allow them to thaw first, thus saving time and resources trying to get it sorted. 

In essence, this would be the same for any tool or material that needs some heat into it before use. By simply having a set area for warmth, output can still be very high, even in adverse conditions.  

Another solution, especially in the case of nail guns, is to fire empty nail guns at 40 PSI. This will warm up the tool nicely before use, while using antifreeze tool oil for other pneumatic tools is also very helpful.   

Winter construction is very challenging, but solutions can be had  

Ultimately, there is a reason why most construction projects are done in the other three seasons of the year than winter.  

It’s much easier, much safer and much more efficient. However, sometimes needs must and while working on a construction site in the winter can be daunting, things can still get done.  

The importance of external lighting and heating cannot be underestimated, as having both in operation can help a lot.  

Whether it’s keeping you warm or providing you with visibility, both solutions can really have a huge impact on safety, well-being and productivity.  

Indeed, the purpose of this article is to keep you safe in challenging conditions. If you need any site heating or lighting, click here for heating and here for lighting. If you’ve enjoyed this article and want to see what else we have for you to read, you can find our article home base here.