Lost tools, blocked access routes, and random placed supplies, equipment and batteries, all cost teams valuable time for every shift. But it doesn’t have to be like this, better planning and housekeeping can give days back to busy road crews, says Wesley Mitchell, Senior Sector Consultant at Armorgard.

Picture a common start on a road job. The lane closure is in place and the crew are ready to go, but somebody needs a drill. It’s not in the van, so someone has to go back to the compound and the battery is flat because it was left on a shelf overnight. Each of these small delays may seem minor, but they all add up, and together they can consume the best part of a morning.

Storage problems usually start with each new workday, with materials getting dropped wherever there’s space and pallets ending up blocking the access routes the plant needs. The remedy here is to pre-plan where each material will go, book deliveries to suit the work schedule, agree clear pathways before project begins and mark the plan on the ground so everyone can see it.

Space is tight on linear road works, and a secure store may sit a long walk from the ‘coalface’, which is why it’s best to discover any trade-offs ahead of time, rather than being surprised by a poorly accommodated delivery on day three.

Keep materials moving without manual strain

Manual handling remains a major cause of injury and, according to figures from the HSE, one in three workplace injuries in UK construction are due to manual handling incidents. As a result, 7.1 million working days are lost each year, so it’s something every site manage should plan to mitigate.

Two people carrying materials and boards along narrow and constricted pathways is a common sight on many job sites, taking time and puts workers’ backs at risk. But there’s a simple fix: board trolleys with clamps that hold the load, a stated maximum load and static brakes on at least two castors keep sheets of materials in place from the delivery point to the place where it’s actually needed.

Pipes and bundled lengths work in a similar way. Racks that keep lengths off the floor and sorted by size mean the right piece can be found first time.

Charge and store batteries with the risk in mind

Battery charging is where tidiness matters most for safety as a lithium-ion battery can suffer thermal runaway, a self-sustaining reaction inside a cell that can spread to

neighbouring cells and generate intense heat, often in excess of 1,000°C and give off toxic gas and can reignite after several hours.

Common workday habits make the risk worse, with chargers often sitting on shelves with leads daisy-chained across the deck and damaged cells can end up touching good ones.

However, good practice here is reasonably straightforward by charging batteries in a dedicated, ventilated area, clear of escape routes and dust. Keep damaged cells apart and use charging units with smoke or gas detection and an automatic power cut-off when temperatures rise, storing charged batteries in lockable units.

Check current guidance from the Health and Safety Executive and your battery supplier before setting a site policy. Ask yourself: does your fire risk assessment account for Class L, the new standard for lithium-ion battery fires and does it say anything about where batteries are charged?

Give one person responsibility for site order

Neatness is about ensuring an efficient and organised site. For it to last, someone needs to own it. Name one person responsible for layout and storage on each site, and make sure they know what that covers. Ask who checks the charging area at the end of a shift. And find out who decides where the next delivery goes as, without putting names to duties, site effectiveness will drift.

By their very nature, road jobs move and a compound that suited the first section of a scheme may not suit the next stretch. Review the layout whenever the working location changes, or when the programme shifts or when a new trade arrives. Ultimately, arrangements should follow the work.

Each gain made here might be small, but site neatness, efficiency and safety are all connected. A search cut short may save one worker minutes, but across a month of shifts, those minutes add up to days.

(Picture: Armorgard)