Sunday, February 28, 2021

Under the Lights

When the push is on and days get long, the portable lights have to get turned on so that we can keep working. But the longer we work under the lights, the more that fatigue becomes both physical and mental

Newsletters Alberta Local 63 BC Local 68 Manitoba Local 152 Ontario Construction Saskatchewan Local 151 Sectors Construction

By Michael Schroeder Hubert, CLAC Training Manitoba Manager

The idea behind the phrase make hay while the sun shines is as relevant to construction as it is to farming. Weather can present many challenges to getting a project completed on time, and when bad conditions slow work down or stop it completely, the schedule is set back.

To make up for lost time, workers are often asked to work long hours. At other times, it’s the scope of work that means long hours. On a big concrete pour, hanging up the tools after 10 hours isn’t always possible.

When I was paying my way through university, I had a summer job driving a recycling truck. There was no shortage of work, and I was offered the chance to work a shift and a half every day.

Needing the money, I jumped at the chance. This meant starting at 8 a.m. and sometimes working until 10 p.m. And while the money was great—and losing a bunch of weight wasn’t bad either—there were consequences of working long hours that were not great. In the heat of the days, I almost passed out from heat exhaustion a couple of times. By evenings, I was bone tired and not always making good decisions.

One night, at the head of an alley, I cut the corner too short and clipped a boulder set at the corner of a property with the back tires of the truck. The boulder got bounced under the truck and caught on the rear axle.

Not thinking straight, I figured that I could just back up to get the boulder out. But the boulder just got caught on the front end, and only after it had smashed the exhaust pipe off of the engine.

Now, I had another problem. At least I had enough sense to shut the truck down before climbing under it to push the boulder out. Then it was a trip halfway across the city with a short-geared five-ton truck roaring through the night.

On another night, I exercised my right to refuse because I was too tired to safely finish a route. I met my employer halfway by riding along and emptying the blue boxes while my manager drove the truck.

In construction, when the push is on and days get long, the portable lights have to get turned on so that we can keep working. By the time the lights go on, it’s quite often the case that you are working tired. And the longer we work under the lights, the more that fatigue becomes both physical and mental. If we aren’t making decisions at 100 percent, the more likely it is that someone will make a mistake that results in time being spent trying to correct the mistake or even someone getting injured.

Workplace injuries in construction account for 200 deaths per year in Canada, and over 26,000 lost-time incidents. Nobody goes to work expecting to be injured or killed by the work that they are doing, but the reality is that people are hurt and killed because of situations that do not go as planned.

When the days get long and the lights go on, the temptation may be to look for quicker ways of performing tasks. Or the day may have gotten long because things have not gone to plan and new plans are being developed on the fly.

When fatigue clouds your ability to make good decisions, poorly thought out changes can lead to disastrous outcomes. Fatigue can also lead to loss of focus that can result in accidents. Forgetting to replace a retaining pin, not tying into an anchor point, standing in the blind spot of an equipment operator, not paying attention to where you are stepping, cutting a corner too tightly, and many other what ifs that may be caused by being mentally tired can have terrible outcomes. But knowing how to prepare for the long haul can make getting safely through to the end possible.

8 Suggestions for Staying Safe under the Lights

Pacing – If you know you’re in for a long day, pace yourself to keep some energy in reserve to get you to the end of the day.
Stay hydrated – Without proper hydration, you’ll cramp up.
Eat – Make sure that you keep your machine fueled up all day long.
Breaks – Make sure that you take your coffee breaks to rest and refuel.
Work in the light – When the lights do come on, make sure that they are aimed at the work area. Working in the shadows, or the dark, is going to lead to more chances of mistakes being made.
Watch – Be aware of your own fatigue and don’t push too far. If you’re too tired, you’re going to make mistakes that cost time and can get someone hurt or worse.
Sleep – Recharge the batteries by getting as much sleep as you can before you go out there to do it all again.
Plan – Stick to the plan for how to complete the work safely. If conditions change or new challenges surface, take time to make a new plan before proceeding so that work can continue to be done safely.

Don’t cut corners or take short cuts. Make hay while the sun shines—and even when the sun goes to bed—but remember to take care of yourself so that you don’t end up burning out or worse, under the lights.

Under the Lights

8 Suggestions for Staying Safe under the Lights

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