Best Practices

Construction Site Safety: How to Handle a Wet Jobsite

From flooding to erosion to stuck equipment to damaged supplies and materials, completing construction in the rain can create a wide range of serious and costly problems on a worksite. Rain and severe weather are the leading causes of a wet, muddy construction site, but other sources of excess water build up can include equipment cleaning and incorrect dust control. To help you avoid delays and downtime caused by wet jobsites, follow the list of best practices below.

Identify possible water sources

A key part of construction site safety and water damage mitigation is to first recognize where any potential sources of water are on or near your jobsite. By knowing where groundwater, surface water runoff, or excessive rain could have an impact on your materials or operation, you can anticipate water related challenges and make sure you have the required waterproofing materials and dewatering equipment on hand. Determining the direction of flow and where water may accumulate can also help you avoid working or storing supplies in that area.

Create sufficient drainage systems

If there’s a chance you’ll be completing construction in the rain, then you have to implement a drainage system. This process may involve grading the ground to provide slopes that naturally route water away from work areas, setting up culverts or drains, or utilizing gravel filled trenches, or French drains to divert excess water away from the jobsite. Failure to create effective drainage will lead to a muddy construction site, stuck equipment, damaged supplies, and other potential issues.

Installing retaining walls or silt fences are also effective strategies that can help divert water, keeping it away from the worksite in the first place.

Recognize high traffic areas

Jobsite entrances, routes from one side of the site to the other, and other high traffic areas are especially susceptible to mud and wet jobsite related problems. To ensure vehicles can keep moving effectively, spreading a layer of crushed stone or gravel and using mud mats are great ways to create a solid base. They will prevent the ground from becoming overly soggy and provide traction for vehicles.

Use stabilization techniques

In some situations, the only way to maintain construction site safety and a solid base to work on is by stabilizing the soil. Stabilization methods include adding binders, geotextiles, or soil cement to the ground to keep it from dissolving into mud during adverse weather conditions. Using mulch or vegetation to cover exposed soils can also help prevent soil erosion and mud creation by slowing down water flow, absorbing excess moisture, and holding soil in place.

Cover your supplies with waterproofing materials

Rain and excess water on the jobsite can damage wood and other supplies, as well as wash away aggregate and other materials. If rain is on the way, we recommend covering all supplies and materials with a securely anchored tarp or other waterproofing materials to protect them from the elements.

Inspect your jobsite daily

Before you start work for the day, a key part of construction site safety is thoroughly examining the work area to get an idea of the terrain you will be working on. Clearly mark off dangerous areas full of water, mud, or sticky soil, and areas that may become water logged in the event of rain. Doing so will help your crew avoid driving machines or storing supplies in that area.

Be prepared for stuck equipment

Make sure you have robust straps, ropes, chains, or cables handy in your toolkit to pull your equipment out of a sticky situation if it becomes stuck on a wet, muddy construction site.

If you have any questions about water damage mitigation, waterproofing materials, handling construction in the rain, or construction site safety in general, contact our team today.