Storms and High Winds on Site: When to Stop Work

No law sets a wind speed at which building work must stop. Instead, several duties make you plan for the weather and act on it:

• Work at height. Work at height must be properly planned, appropriately supervised and carried out in a manner which is, so far as is reasonably practicable, safe (Work at Height Regulations 2005, regulation 4(1)). It may only be carried out when the weather does not jeopardise the health or safety of the people involved (regulation 4(3)). These duties apply to employers, and to self-employed people for work they do or control (regulation 3).
• Weather protection outdoors. Where it is needed for health or safety, an outdoor construction site must, so far as is reasonably practicable, be arranged to give protection from adverse weather (CDM 2015, regulation 34(2)).
• Good order. Every part of a site must, so far as is reasonably practicable, be kept in good order (CDM 2015, regulation 18(1)). Loose materials that the wind can pick up are part of that.
• Stability of structures. Any temporary support or temporary structure must be designed, installed and maintained to withstand any foreseeable loads (CDM 2015, regulation 19(2)). Wind is a foreseeable load.
• Risk assessment. Employers and the self-employed must assess the risks of their work and review the assessment when it may no longer be valid or there has been a significant change (Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999, regulation 3). A storm that changes the site is a reason to review.

In practice this means two things. Decide your stop rules before the job starts, and write them into the RAMS. Then, on the day, check the forecast against those rules and stop when the weather makes the work unsafe.

The Met Office issues severe weather warnings for wind, rain, snow, ice, thunderstorms, fog and extreme heat, up to seven days ahead. Each warning is yellow, amber or red, and the colour combines how bad the impact could be with how likely it is. A warning is not a legal instruction to stop work, but it is a clear point at which to check your stop rules.

• Yellow. The Met Office says yellow and amber warnings cover a range of impact levels and likelihoods, so read the warning details. Check whether tomorrow's work at height, lifting or sheeting work falls inside your stop rules.
• Amber. The Met Office says to consider changing your plans and to take action to protect yourself and your property. On site, that is the time to secure materials and plan for work at height and lifts to be stopped.
• Red. Dangerous weather is expected. The Met Office says to act now, avoid travel where possible and follow advice from the emergency services and local authorities.

Read the warning on the Met Office weather warnings guide, including the impact and likelihood matrix in its details. Then check the local forecast for your site on the day.

Most storm damage on small sites comes from things that were left loose. Before the wind arrives:

• Tie down or remove loose sheets, boards, insulation, membranes, waste and anything in open skips.
• Stack materials so they cannot topple or roll. HSE's public protection guidance says to store materials inside the site, preferably in secure compounds away from the fence.
• Check fencing panels, feet, clips and hoarding. Fencing with signs or sheeting attached catches more wind.
• Check scaffold sheeting and netting are secure. HSE says never to sheet a scaffold or attach debris netting without first telling the designers and erectors, so they can make sure the scaffold is designed for it. If you are unsure, ask your scaffold contractor before the storm, not after.
• Park and secure plant as its manufacturer says. Lower MEWP platforms and booms.
• Close and lock gates, cover or barrier off excavations and openings, and take ladders away from scaffolds.
• Keep people away from scaffolds, edges, fencing and stacked materials while the wind is high.

If the site will be closed for a while, use our free site shutdown and security checklist.

Walk the site before anyone starts work, and keep people off anything that has not been checked.

• Scaffolds. HSE's scaffolding guidance says a scaffold must be inspected following any circumstances liable to jeopardise its safety, for example high winds. The law requires an inspection each time exceptional circumstances liable to jeopardise the safety of the equipment have occurred (Work at Height Regulations 2005, regulation 12(3)(b)). Use a competent person and record the inspection.
• MEWPs and towers. HSE says storms can damage platforms and to inspect the platform before use after severe weather.
• Temporary works. Check props, shoring, formwork, temporary supports and sheeted structures before anyone loads them or works near them. Where there is a temporary works coordinator, they decide whether a design check is needed. HSE says temporary works must be inspected on a regular basis by a competent person.
• Excavations. An excavation must be inspected after any event likely to have affected its strength or stability (CDM 2015, regulation 22(4)). Heavy rain and flooding can do that.
• Fencing and access. Re-fix fencing and gates, and check that access routes are clear of debris and fallen materials.
• Roofs and openings. Look for lifted coverings, damaged edge protection and blown covers over openings.
• Services. Treat any fallen cable as live and keep clear. Report damage to overhead lines to the network operator.

Brief the team before work restarts on any damage and on anything still out of use. See our guides to scaffolding safety and temporary works, and for frost, ice and dark mornings, working in cold weather.