Company Name __________________________ Job Name __________________________ Date________

WINDY  DAYS

We can expect some windy days on this job site. The supervision on this job has a responsibility for taking general precautions when strong winds are expected, but each employee must help in protecting himself and other people.

Sudden gusts of wind can cause unexpected accidents. If the wind is gusty, use a tagline when hoisting loads with large flat surfaces and you won't get caught when the load swings. Don't get caught in a position where a sudden gust can throw you off balance and cause a bad fall. Stay off beams and away from the un-barricaded edges of structures and excavations. If you're on a scaffold be sure there's a guardrail to protect you.

A 20 to 30 mile per hour wind can pick up a piece of scrap material and carry it as far out as the height from which it came. A piece from a 20-foot scaffold can hit a man standing 20 feet away while the same piece coming off a high rise building may travel almost a full city block. Scraps of plywood and sheet metal cause the most trouble, but a strong wind can pick up a loose 2 x 10 deck plank and drop it off a scaffold.

The wind can whip up clouds of dust and reduce visibility. Drivers and operators should slow down accor­dingly, but a man on foot must watch out for himself and not depend on an operator to see him in time to prevent an accident.

Finally, high winds pick up sparks from open fires and cause whipping tarpaulins to overturn heaters. The resulting fires have caused many severe burn injuries and damage to buildings under construction.