Wet Ground Season
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| Rick Raef |
Rick Raef is a heavy construction safety consultant for Willis Group Holdings, San Francisco, Calif., a global insurance broker. Raef has been with Willis since 1996, during which time he developed a crisis management program called, "Character Based Crisis Management: A Contractor's Survival Guide." He is currently the editor of WCSN-The Willis Construction Safety Network, an electronic safety bulletin distributed to contractors in the
March 23, 2005 • In late February we saw the first of what will likely be many more accidents attributed to soft ground. On a jobsite in Enlarge Image
Photo by Patrick Schneider of the Charlotte Observer.
According to one report, muddy conditions may have contributed to the accident. As winter gives way to spring, construction crews find themselves contending with water, mud, and sink holes. During Wet Ground Season, there is typically a spike in mobile equipment tip-overs, including cranes and aerial lifts, as well as trench accidents.
Unfortunately, wet ground doesn't come with any attention-getting warning signs. While the ground may look basically the same from one day to the next, it has become exponentially heavier, creating the potential to give way under the weight of equipment.
But there's another aspect of Wet Ground Season of which to be aware. It has nothing to do with the ground; it's about your people. Ask any construction worker's spouse what it's like to spend the long winter months with someone used to being outdoors. It's like being cooped up with a grizzly bear. So as your hard hat grizzlies shake off their winter slumber and get back to work, keep an eye out for the well-intentioned over-achievers who want to do too much before the ground is ready.
To read a full report of the accident mentioned here, go to the Charlotte Observer.
