Spring into safety by reducing potential hazards

With the arrival of spring’s warmer weather, people are once again enjoying more outdoor activities.

Spring’s onset also means construction activity is on the rise. While we usually equate construction season in Manitoba with road work, spring is also the busiest time for residential construction.

Residential construction season doesn’t just involve new homes being built in new communities. It also includes demolitions, infill construction, landscaping projects, driveway repairs and many other home-renovation projects. That means residential construction work, and also the common hazards that come with it, can be present in any neighbourhood. With more people understandably feeling the urge to be more active outside, now is a great time to remind folks of all ages to keep an eye out for potential hazards that can arise with short-term construction projects.

Vehicles, equipment and building materials used on construction sites can pose hazards to workers, drivers and pedestrians on residential roadways while construction is taking place. These hazards can include heavy machinery backing onto roadways, equipment parked on the roadside, and trailers standing alongside.

If equipment is enlisted to work on a roadway, a safety buffer area will usually be marked off to alert drivers, pedestrians and workers that equipment will be active in the area. All moving equipment should be equipped with back-up alarms to alert those in the area that a vehicle is reversing onto the street. So be alert for these situations while driving, biking or walking in residential neighbourhoods.

It’s also commonplace that building materials like gravel or rock may need to be temporarily deposited on a roadway for a short period of time during construction. If you have children, please remind them that such piles of gravel or stone are potentially dangerous and should not be played upon. Equipment is usually nearby to move these materials and there’s the potential for a pile to shift. The best way to avoid any mishap is to ensure children don’t go anywhere near piles of sand, gravel or stone.

Construction fences are also sometimes attractive for curious children. Please remind kids that these fences should not be touched and that everyone should maintain a safe distance from active construction sites. Taking the time to remind family members to be aware of potential hazards and stressing the need to take small, simple steps to avoid them can go a long way in avoiding a catastrophe.

Excited homeowners eager to check on the progress of their new dwelling may feel there’s no harm in visiting the construction site. However, it’s important to stress that these are active construction sites and visiting without an appointment with their builder can potentially put activities on the worksite at risk and can impede their possession date.

All visits to construction sites should be made by appointment only and with the full awareness of both the builder and the site supervisor. This is to protect both the workers and the customers themselves who are entering an active construction zone, likely without the protective equipment required for everyone on such a site. This could potentially delay work on the home. The Manitoba Home Builders’ Association’s best advice is to contact your builder if you’d like to visit your home while it’s under construction.

May 5-10 marks Safety and Health Week in Manitoba and it’s a great time to highlight the importance of safety for everyone who works in the residential construction industry, the customers they serve and those in the communities they help build. Safety is always a top priority of the MHBA and its member companies across the province.

Lanny McInnes is president of the Manitoba Home Builders’ Association. You can learn more about MHBA builders and renovators at homebuilders.mb.ca.

lmcinnes@homebuilders.mb.ca