Hurricane Ian’s dangerous winds and flooding affected millions of Florida residents, according to constructiondive.com. On construction sites full of potential safety hazards, contractors had to prepare for storm damage and its long-term effects.

As contractors return to job sites to assess damage and determine whether project progress has been affected, there are steps they should take for a smoother recovery.

Contractors must perform a full round of inspections, ensuring safety prevention measures such as fall-prevention guardrails still are secure. Storm damage can weaken safety precautions, and an inspection can uncover the weaknesses.

Planning before a storm also can help with cleanup and returning to work.

“Preparation for post-hurricane damage is critical,” said Eric Anderson, CEO of Enviro Clean Restore of Rhode Island. “What is your company’s disaster response plan? Do you have one? How will you generate power? Are there agreements in place for response?”

When companies know to expect the worst when the storm is over, they often can get work back to normal more quickly.

“In a major hurricane, it’s best to take a conservative approach and assume both wind and flooding/surge impacts,” said Tom Nappo, vice president of property and marine risk control at Chicago-based insurance firm CNA. “A comprehensive incident response plan and team is critical in responding to these types of events; those components need to be part of the project’s DNA from day one.”

Nappo said incident response and severe weather plans always should be a part of a project’s process because they can happen at any time.

Original Information Source:

https://www.nrca.net/RoofingNews/assessing-a-job-site-is-key-after-a-hurricane.10-6-2022.