Wind and Weather Hazards

Why it matters

Weather is a schedule problem until it becomes a safety problem, and the line between the two is sharper than most crews treat it. Wind turns sheet goods into sails, rain turns roofs into slides, and lightning does not care that you are almost done with the row.

Hazards

• ⚠ Wind catching sheathing, membrane, and drywall being carried
• ⚠ Gusts throwing workers off balance at edges and on scaffolds
• ⚠ Lightning striking crews on roofs, steel, and open ground
• ⚠ Rain and frost making walking surfaces slick
• ⚠ Materials and debris becoming airborne toward workers and public

Controls and safe practices

• ✓ Stop handling sheet goods at height when winds pick up; a 4x8 sheet in a gust has thrown workers off roofs.
• ✓ Scaffold work stops in storms or high winds, per 1926.451(f)(12), unless protection is in place.
• ✓ Lightning rule: when thunder roars, go indoors. Wait 30 minutes after the last thunder before resuming.
• ✓ Re-inspect walking surfaces after rain and frost; delay roof work until surfaces are safe.
• ✓ Secure loose material at every break and end of shift; assume the forecast is wrong in the bad direction.
• ✓ Give the crew explicit stop-work authority for weather; nobody rides out a gust to save twenty minutes.

Crew discussion questions

1. What is today’s forecast, and at what point do we stop which tasks?
2. What material on this site becomes a sail or a missile in wind?
3. Where does the crew shelter for lightning, and who calls the stop?
4. What needs securing before tonight?

Applicable OSHA standards

29 CFR 1926.451, OSH Act 5(a)(1)

More toolbox talks

• Ladder Safety
• Fall Protection Basics
• Heat Illness Prevention
• Lockout / Tagout: Controlling Energized Circuits
• Trench and Excavation Safety
• Silica Dust Control

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