By Danielle Ling, dling@alm.com
This article was first published on PropertyCasualty360.com and is republished here with permission. All rights reserved.
6 Safety Steps for Contractors to Follow This Hurricane Season
- Secure all aspects of the job. Wind and rain can damage materials and the structure or project. Protect areas under construction from water intrusion, secure loose materials and install additional bracing to walls or roofs if needed.
- Identify the potential for flooding. Take steps to avoid on-site flooding, including installing drainage systems, moving large equipment and waiting to install finished products until the building is watertight.
- Protect your cranes. Cranes should be lowered if possible before weather events. Consult with the manufacturer or a professional engineer on how to best lower and secure cranes.
- Create an employee action plan. Devise an action plan to keep people safe, with a list of contact information and a log of on-site workers to account for everyone if a storm hits.
- Check your business continuity plan. Train employees to understand their roles, and regularly review, update and test your plan for business disruption. If you don’t have a plan in place, now is the time to create one.
- Regularly review your insurance coverage. Work with your insurance carrier or broker to make sure your business is sufficiently protected.
The 2018 hurricane season is here, and Travelers is working to prepare construction clients for emergency weather situations from June 1 to November 30.
Hurricanes, flooding and other extreme weather events can disrupt construction jobs due to severe winds and heavy rain. They can also create new jobs with response work rebuilding impacted areas.
Travelers experts warn that the demand surge for labor and materials, coupled with unfamiliar locations and the unique job-site hazards associated with post-event situations, can create significant risks and challenges for contractors. However, these risks can be minimized by taking a few proactive steps.
Related: The 2018 hurricane season is here: Are you prepared?
“Before taking on a job post-storm, consider whether or not you have enough qualified staff to handle the work, the necessary materials to complete the job and adequate insurance coverage for the situation,” Rick Keegan, president of Construction at Travelers, said in a statement.
“Weighing the risks and putting safety first are important to protecting a business’s livelihood and employees.”
While still in the early stages of this year’s hurricane season, Travelers recommends contractors consider 6 safety steps to prepare for and prevent hurricane damage. Travelers’ experts detail more information on how contractors can prepare for severe weather on their Prepare & Prevent website.
Related: How could the 2018 hurricane season impact P&C insurers
Danielle Ling
As the Associate Editor of Online Features & Multimedia for PC360, Danielle Ling writes and edits feature articles for both online and print publications. Danielle heads PC360’s video department, producing news packages and animated videos for the site. A University of Maryland and Philip Merrill College of Journalism alum, prior to this role, Danielle served as a video journalist for Verizon FiOS 1 News NJ on the show “Push Pause.” Connect with Danielle on LinkedIn or email her at dling@alm.com.
(Source: PropertyCasualty360.com, 6 safety steps for contractors to follow this hurricane season)
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