The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) normally considers winds exceeding 48.3 kilometers per hour (30 miles per hour) as too high, especially if the work involves material handling or employees on elevated work surfaces. OSHA has specific levels of wind speeds to halt operations for different tasks, as do all equipment manufacturers.
ISSUES:
Weather plays a huge role in our ability to work safely outdoors. Heat, rain, snow, and ice are often planned for; however, we often forget about the hazards that wind can create. Some examples follow:
- Falls from heights: Wind strong enough to cause a worker to lose balance and fall from an elevated location.
- Loss of control of materials: Wind causing workers or equipment to lose control of materials being handled.
- Increased hazards: Wind exposing workers to additional dangers, even if they are following safety procedures.
- Struck-by incidents: Due to objects being blown around, increasing velocity or impact.
- Slips, trips, and falls: Workers reacting or overreacting to a falling object blown onto or around working surfaces.
- Eye injuries: Small or large particles of flying debris and dust.
- Dropped loads: Wind loads exceeding the rigging capacities for static weight.
- Objects falling from elevated surfaces and striking others below.
SOURCES OF HAZARDS:
1. Lack of warning of upcoming conditions.
2. Improper protection systems.
3. Materials not properly secured or lack of time to secure materials.
4. Not following engineer designs or manufacturers’ requirements related to windy conditions (pushing the limits).
5. Lack of a secure place to shelter during a wind event.
6. Lack of training.
REGULATIONS:
- OSHA Standard Subpart V – 1926.968 – Definitions – High Wind: A wind of such velocity that one or more of the following hazards would be present:
- The wind could blow an employee from an elevated location.
- The wind could cause an employee or equipment handling material to lose control of the material.
- The wind would expose an employee to other hazards not controlled by the standard involved.
Note: OSHA normally considers winds exceeding 64.4 kilometers per hour (40 miles per hour), or 48.3 kilometers per hour (30 miles per hour) if the work involves material handling, as meeting this criteria—unless the employer takes precautions to protect employees from the hazardous effects of the wind.
- OSHA Standard Subpart CC – Aerial Lift Wind Restriction – 1926.1431(k)(8)(i): When wind speed (sustained or gusts) exceeds 20 mph at the personnel platform, a qualified person must determine if, in light of the wind conditions, it is not safe to lift personnel. If it is not, the lifting operation must not begin (or, if already in progress, must be terminated).
EXAMPLE INCIDENTS:
- A worker died when he was placing waste glass into a container from an elevated position, and a gust of wind caught the pane and blew him into the bin 10 feet below.
- A worker died and four others were injured when trusses raked while being installed during high winds.
- Four workers were killed when a free-standing CMU wall collapsed during high winds from a thunderstorm.
- A worker died when a building he was working in collapsed during high winds.
- Three workers died when adding tower sections (to increase the height of a material hoist) that collapsed under high winds.
- Wind is the second most common cause of crane accidents worldwide. According to the American National Standards Institute (ANSI), there were 1,125 tower crane accidents reported worldwide between 2000 and 2010, resulting in more than 780 deaths. Exposure to high winds was one of the main factors, accounting for up to 23% of all accidents.
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW:
- Preparation
- Monitor weather reports continuously.
- Be ready for sudden gusts.
- Secure partially built structures and scaffolding.
- Store or tie down loose materials and tools.
- Avoid roof work or work from high elevations.
- Increased hazards: Wind exposing workers to additional dangers, even if they are following safety procedures.
- Avoid heights during strong winds.
- Secure tools and materials.
- Wear eye protection.
- Handle large, flat materials with extra caution.
- Suspend crane, aerial lift, and hoist operations.
- Be mindful of the “stability triangle.”
- Best Practices
- Eliminate risky tasks during high winds.
- Do not react to falling objects on elevated surfaces.
- Pause lifting operations.
- Stay out of danger zones like those near dump trucks or lifted loads.
- Use alternative PPE, including chin-strap hard hats, goggles, and windbreakers.
- Requirements
- Preplanning is critical.
- Adjust schedules based on weather.
- Avoid tasks unsafe during high winds.
- Implement additional safety safeguards when wind is present.
- Other Precautions
- Never stand between the edge of an elevated surface and a carried object.
- Tie down all materials against wind movement.
- Ensure supported objects remain stable in gusts.
- Tightly secure tarps.
- Ensure scaffolds and wooden steps are stable in windy conditions.
IMPORTANT DO’S ABOUT HIGH WIND CONDITIONS:
- Do monitor weather reports.
- Do have a plan to secure structures and materials.
- Do secure loose materials throughout the day.
- Do require tabulated data for wind loads on hoisted materials.
- Do avoid high-risk tasks in windy conditions.
- Do have a designated shelter area.
- Do allow time for wind-influenced tasks.
- Do wear proper PPE.
- Do stay out from under raised loads.
- Do establish and maintain controlled access zones (CAZs).
- Do prepare a rescue plan.
IMPORTANT DON’TS ABOUT HIGH WIND CONDITIONS:
- Do not adopt a “get it done” mindset when high winds are approaching.
- Do not accumulate flat, large-surface items without securing them.
- Do not ignore weather warning alerts.
