How To Stay Safe And Visible At Work In Winter

As mornings get light later, and the evenings draw in, the need to focus on staying visible on site once again becomes a key priority. Winter conditions increase construction site accidents by 15-20%, with key factors including:

• 30-40% more slips, trips, and falls
• 10-15% rise in vehicle/equipment accidents
• 1.5-2x higher risk of being struck by or caught between objects
• 25-35% increase in falls from heights

Poor visibility and low light contribute significantly to these elevated risks.

On construction sites, high visibility is crucial for safety. The crowded environment—with workers, machinery, materials, and signage—creates visual clutter. This makes it challenging for equipment operators to spot workers, increasing the risk of collision accidents, and highway construction workers face additional visibility risks from vehicle traffic. Maximizing visibility is therefore essential to prevent potentially fatal incidents.

Safety always needs to be the number one priority on every job, and visibility is a key component of job site safety.

In this blog, Clad Safety recommends the following measures to ensure your workforce stay safe and visible.

Wear Hi Vis Clothing

High-visibility clothing (hi vis) is remarkably effective in low-light conditions due to its unique design and materials. Made in yellow and orange material, which stands out sharply against most backgrounds, the fluorescent dyes absorb ultraviolet light and re-emit it as visible light, making the wearer appear to “glow” in dim settings. Hi vis clothing also incorporates reflective tape strips that bounce light directly back to its source, such as car headlights. This combination of fluorescent fabric and reflective elements highlights the wearer’s entire body shape and movement, creating a stark contrast with the surroundings. As a result, hi vis clothing offers an easy and highly effective way for workers to remain visible and safe in low-light environments, significantly reducing the risk of accidents.

Lighting

Personal lighting solutions, such as head torches and body-mounted lights, offer significant benefits for construction workers operating in low-light conditions or during night shifts. This portable illumination gear serves a dual purpose, enhancing both the wearer vision and their visibility to others. Head torches, worn on safety helmets or headbands, provide hands-free, directional lighting that moves with the user’s line of sight, illuminating tasks directly in front of them. This targeted lighting improves precision and reduces eye strain during detailed work. Body torches, typically attached to clothing or safety vests, offer a wider spread of light, increasing the worker’s overall visibility in the environment. These accessories not only boost productivity by allowing workers to navigate and perform tasks more efficiently in dimly lit areas but also significantly enhance safety, complementing other safety measures like hi-vis clothing and creating multiple layers of protection in challenging lighting conditions.

Act with Extra Caution

When working in low-light conditions, construction workers should exercise heightened caution to maximise their safety. It’s good practice to work in pairs whenever possible, as this allows for mutual monitoring and assistance in potentially hazardous situations. Be particularly mindful of vehicle blind spots, especially around large construction equipment and busy construction sites. Drivers may struggle to see workers in poor lighting, so maintain a safe distance and make your presence known. Whenever possible, stay in areas with adequate ground lighting. These illuminated zones not only improve your ability to perform tasks safely but also make you more visible to others on the site. When required to operate in poorly lit areas, use additional personal lighting and high-visibility gear to compensate. Remember, in low-light conditions, your awareness and proactive safety measures become even more critical to preventing accidents and ensuring a secure work environment.

Upgrade Safety Gear in Preparation for the Darker Months

Maximum Visibility is one of the most effective methods for providing protection against accidents. If you are looking to upgrade your essential safety gear, and maximise the level of protection from injury to your workforce when working in low light levels, why not get in touch with our team today? We have over thirty years of experience helping companies with cost effective solutions to exceeding safety requirements for their teams.

To benefit from our knowledge and wide range of protective equipment, call us today on 01423 881266 or email us at [email protected].