Australia Weather News

Owen Friel and Shayde Withecombe deal with the elements on sites around Brisbane. - ABC

For those who work in construction, you may think that managing the weather is simple; just down tools when it is too hot or too wet. However, when there is a pay cheque on the line it is not as clear cut as this.

Manu Pipitolu has been working as a renderer's trowel hand for nearly one year which has been enough time for him to feel the full effects of the weather on his work.

"If it's too wet we can't work. If it's too hot, sometimes you have to call it off," Mr Pipitolu said.

In an industry where workers often get paid upon completion it can be a fine balance between staying safe and paying the bills, meaning knowing when to make the call to down tools can be difficult.

John Whiting is self-employed and has been on and off the tools for the last 30 years.

"You've got to make that call on the spot to go, 'No, this is too dangerous, it's time to go'," Mr Whiting said.

"But then again, you're going to weigh-up that you need to be paid too. You can't not get paid."

Each state has its own workplace health and safety regulations, but often it is up to individuals to assess whether it is safe to work in weather conditions.

Carpenter Brady Powell said a lot of the time the decision is dependent on how much work they have.

"If it rains a little bit and we don't have much work, we'll just go home, but if we've got a lot of work to do we'll normally stay until it's all done."

Natural disasters have a flow-on effect

Natural disasters can also be problematic for people working in trades.

During the 2011 floods in Brisbane residential construction sites were impacted as flood waters continued to rise.

A site manager at one such construction site, Lachlan Campbell, said the Brisbane flood was the worst weather he has ever dealt with at work.

"No work really got done. [The flooding] created a bit of work, but it wasn't good for us," Mr Campbell said.

The weather event also caused trouble for plasterer Stephen Clayphan who has learned from the experience and now encourages other people in trades to be prepared for poor weather.

"Don't rely on a full week's work," Mr Clayphan said.

"Always try to put some money away here and there.

"No one can tell what the weather's going to do, so just be prepared for it."

Rain, rain go away

Eleanor Hayward is a project manager who engages and manages contractors to complete construction projects.

Ms Hayward said the weather definitely affects the construction side of her work, especially if groundwork coincides with rain.

"If the site is at a point where it's not a closed envelope weather does get in," she said.

"You have to protect whatever it is that you've been doing [like] cover-up manholes and things like that so we don't get water going into places that you don't want."

Ms Hayward said poor weather can also require her to shut down a site and manage any fallout and delays by organising Extension Of Time (EOT) requests, consulting Bureau of Meteorology data to justify delays to clients, as well as potential insurance claims.

Rain is not the only hazard Ms Hayward has to contend with; weather can be either too cold or too hot depending on the task.

"There's lots of conditions around doing certain things, like a concrete pour when you have to have a certain temperature level for things to be able to cure and set at the right rate," she said.

Ms Hayward also has a responsibility from a health and safety perspective during weather events to ensure her crew are working in safe conditions.

Climate change impacts construction

Day-to-day operations are not the only aspect of construction that is impacted by the weather, with the industry making changes in response to climate change.

"I suppose the biggest jump has been the sustainable initiatives," Ms Hayward said.

Construction features like double-glazed windows, a building's aspect, and the amount of glazing on a building's external cladding have all changed compared to what was common practice 10 or 15 years ago.

Waste management and recycling plans on construction sites are also required now.

These climate change adaption and mitigation initiatives are now benchmarked through building rating systems like Green Star and NABERS.

Advice to new tradies

Craig Winning has been a carpenter for 35 years and said he has always found a way to manage weather conditions.

"[It got down to] about -4 degrees Celsius when I was an apprentice," Mr Winning said.

"Back then we could have fires around the job site [and] all the off-cuts used to go into the 44 gallon drums to keep us warm, which is totally illegal these days [due to] workplace health and safety."

His fellow carpenter, 33-year veteran Craig Monk, said it was hot weather that can present the most challenges.

"Summer tends to be quite hard right in the peak of the heat, whereas [in] the winter time I quite enjoy the work I do in winter."

Mr Monk's advice was to work at your own pace and wear protective clothing.

"I used to wear singlets but then I started to get sunspots from them so I stopped."

Mr Whiting had simple advice for working in extreme conditions.

"If it's hot: hydrate, hydrate, hydrate and try and take frequent breaks," he said.

"If it's wet, keep an eye on your electrical equipment and make sure you're doing it safely. If it looks like it's unsafe, just stop."

ABC