HKS : Housekeeping

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Chapter : Housekeeping Safety

Housekeeping

Housekeeping on the job means cleaning up scrap and debris, putting it in containers, and making sure the containers are emptied regularly. It also means proper storage of materials and equipment.
We don’t do this to make the site look good.

Housekeeping helps prevent accidents and injuries.

We all know how fast rubbish accumulates on site – scrap lumber, broken bricks, pieces of drywall, garbage from coffee breaks and lunches.

Construction rubbish is often irregular in shape, hard to handle, and full of sharp objects.

One of the biggest problems is packaging. Too often it gets removed from material and left where it falls.

This creates tripping and slipping hazards. It also makes other hazards difficult to see. Even worse, it
invites more mess. When the site isn’t cleaned up, no one cares about leaving garbage where it drops.

When that happens, you can’t see faulty wiring, protruding nails, damaged flooring, or missing
scaffold planks. Tools and material can get misplaced in a cluttered work area.

How can you concentrate on your work when you’re worried about slipping, falling, or tripping on debris underfoot? Production and installation time go up while quality tails off.

Mess also makes it difficult to use materials handling equipment. As a result, more material gets handled manually. This increases the risk of injury and damage.

Housekeeping starts with you and me. What can we do about it?

• Clean up as work proceeds.
• Keep equipment and the areas around equipment free of scrap and debris.
• Keep stairways, ramps, and other travel areas clear.
• Secure loose or light material stored on roofs and open floors to keep it from blowing away in the wind.
• Don’t let material fall from any level of the project. Use an enclosed chute or lower the material in containers.
• Keep material at least 1.8 metres or 6 feet away from floor and roof openings, floor and roof edges, excavations, and trenches.
• Store material so that it won’t roll or slide in the direction of the opening. Use blocking if necessary.
• Before handling used lumber, remove or bend over any protruding nails and chip away hardened concrete.
• Housekeeping is especially important when it comes to fire prevention. Flammable rubbish and debris should be immediately removed from the vicinity of welding, flame cutting, propane heating, or other ignition sources.

A clean site may not always be a safe site. But housekeeping is a good way to start improving health
and safety on the job.