Understanding the benefits of effective heating on construction sites
28th September 2021
Cold and wet weather can often cause delays on site due to buildings not being warm or dry enough for works to progress – e.g. carpentry, decorating, floor coverings. However, if we implement an effective heating programme early on, we can be confident that the different stages of the project can progress as planned and costs will remain on track.
Cold temperatures can cause machinery to not operate correctly, or sometimes even break down completely. Not only will this cost time and money to fix, but it can also be extremely dangerous if it causes a failsafe feature not to function whilst in use. As an example, rubber seals are particularly vulnerable to cold weather as they become hard and brittle.
Research shows that your mental performance and your alertness is at its best when your body temperature is high. The cold can cause loss of concentration because your body uses more energy trying to keep warm. This means less energy goes into your concentration, making accidents on site more likely.
Frostbite can cause permanent damage to extremities such as fingers, toes, the nose and the ear lobes. Low temperatures, high wind chill, humidity and damp clothing is a recipe for frostbite; it is therefore essential to get buildings sealed off as soon as possible with an effective heating solution so that workers are protected from wind and rain. Furthermore, if your feet are exposed to wet and cold temperatures for a prolonged period, the body constricts the blood vessels, shutting down circulation to the feet, causing Immersion Foot. Although it can be treated, it can be quite painful and often takes weeks to recover from. If waterlogging is a problem on site, you will also need to implement a dewatering solution.
Cold temperatures allow viruses to survive longer on non-porous surfaces such as machinery controls, hand tools, door handles and toilet flushes. We must therefore take extra care to clean common touch points regularly and practice good hygiene. If we do catch a virus, even the common cold virus, it is important that we remain warm. When we are warm our white blood cells can easily flow around our body to fight off viruses, infections and other diseases, however when we are cold our blood flow can become restricted, therefore lowering the supply of white blood cells around our body and making it harder to make a quick recovery.
When exposed to the cold, your body will try to regulate its temperature, and over a prolonged period, this can increase your blood pressure beyond what is healthy. This can place more strain on your heart and respiratory system, leading to long-term illness or even a heart attack. Furthermore, in extreme weather conditions workers can develop hypothermia; a dangerous drop in body temperature (below 35 degrees) which requires immediate emergency medical treatment and can even be fatal.
The HSE reported that the total cost of workplace self-reported injuries and ill health in 2018/19 was £16.2 billion. Ill health causes the biggest proportion of total costs at around 66% (£10.6 billion), with injury resulting in around 34% of total costs (£5.6 billion). By providing a safe and healthy working environment, you can reduce the indirect costs associated with occupational ill health and injury, making your business more profitable.
Providing a safe and healthy working environment is a legal requirement, and whilst providing additional heating in the winter may seem obvious to some, not all employers think it is required, leaving staff feeling mistreated and under-valued. Investing in staff comfort not only increases staff motivation, productivity and retention, but also enables you to attract the best talent!
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