How To Keep Your Building Site Clean And Tidy

Not only does a clean and organised work area reduce the risk of accidents, but it also encourages better quality and focus amongst the workers on site. Workers will find tools, materials and equipment faster and easier, and they will feel better about coming to the site each day. So we're all agreed that a tidy site is essential, here's how to do it.

Start as you mean to go on.

If your building site starts safe, tidy and organised, it is far easier to maintain this standard throughout the project. If you want to promote a culture of tidiness and encourage a way of working that reduces waste and mess, you need to do it from day one.

Groundworks contractors are usually the first onto the site, and the way they leave the site when they hand over to the following trades will have a knock-on effect. If there is mess lying everywhere, can you expect the bricklayers, scaffolders and any other tradespeople to leave the site immaculate?

Implement a materials storage system

Tidiness starts with proper material storage and good housekeeping. That's why the SiteStak System has such a positive impact on any housebuilding site. It makes the groundworkers' lives easier and helps them leave the area tidy, so the main contractor wins too!

The SiteStak System is designed to store underground drainage materials in a contained workstation that you can quickly move around the site. It has a compartment for the lengths of the drainage pipe at the back and multiple separate bays for different fittings, junctions, and bends on the front. A handy pipe cutting bay makes it safer and easier to cut and chamfer pipes before installation. You can also store the tools you need for the job (handsaw, chamfer tool, pipe lubricant, and a file) within the SiteStak workstation.

Store tools in a set place

Keeping your tools organised will make your work easier. There are many ways to store tools to find and use when you need them quickly. Typically sites will use a storage container that can be locked up at night to prevent theft of tools. If you want to improve security further, consider the Armorgard range of toolboxes.

The most important thing is that whatever system you use, all tools should have their own designated space, and everything should be easy to see and access as quickly as possible without having to search through piles of clutter.

Segregate waste streams in a separate area.

Rather than leaving waste materials around the site, keep a designated area for waste and recycling. We recently wrote about a colour-coding system for segregating waste into different waste streams. This is better for the environment as it allows for recycling some materials rather than sending everything to a landfill site.

By doing this and insisting that waste material is always tidied up and transported back to the waste area, you will maintain a tidier site. Many contractors use the same colour coding system on their tipping skips and use these to transport the waste and tip them into larger skips quickly.

Don't obstruct access routes.

One of the leading causes of accidents on construction sites is people tripping over materials, tools or equipment. This can easily be avoided by ensuring that all access routes are kept clear and tidy at all times.

This might mean that you have to move equipment and materials around the site regularly so that they are not in the way, but it is worth it for the safety of your workers.

Make sure everyone is on board.

The best way to ensure a tidy site is to have a team approach and get everyone involved. If everyone understands the importance of tidiness and takes pride in their work, then the site will be kept clean. There will always be someone who slips up from time to time, but with a strong message from management and regular inspections, the majority of workers will do their best to keep the site clean.

Staff welfare facilities should be kept clean.

It is important to remember that as well as keeping the site clean; you should also provide a place for staff to relax during breaks. It is important that the welfare facility is kept clean too. It is particularly important to frequently remove food waste to prevent attracting pests like mice, rats and pigeons.

We hope you found some of these points helpful and that this has highlighted the importance of keeping a construction site clean and tidy. When materials are in an organized place, your workers can quickly identify what they need for their tasks and get back to work more efficiently with less hassle. If you don't use SiteStak already on your site, check out more about the system and get in touch if you would like more details today.