Construction work can be grueling. Waking up at the crack of dawn, you soldier onto the job-site before clocking in and strapping on your hardhat. Achy muscles and a stiff back are soothed only by the promise of a cup of coffee and the morning ‘bull session’ with the guys. But there’s work to be done. Swinging a sledge hammer or riveting steel beams together ten stories in the air is strenuous to say the least. Lesser men have plunged to their deaths or packed up their lunch boxes and quietly scurried away before quitting time. Dangers abound at every job-site. Heavy-duty cranes dangle steel I-beams above a work zone like a toddler with a erector set. Sparks from a welder’s torch scatter a cascade of fiery embers about… searching for a loose end to spark. But what about the hidden dangers? Severe weather and tornadoes threaten thousands of job-sites annually. Stay safe on the job with a U.S. Hazmat Rentals mobile tornado shelter.
Construction sites are especially vulnerable to the powerful forces of sporadic tornadoes. Buff construction workers mill in and out of the jobsite while shouldering nearly every piece of heavy equipment imaginable. Debris and fresh building supplies often clog entryways. Orchestrated chaos is the best analogy to describe any work-zone as contractors from various crews must work shoulder-to-shoulder in proximity to constant dangerous like exposed wiring, hazardous fumes, blasting caps and deafening machinery that drowns out cries of “look out!” or “watch out from behind!” Then there’s of course the threat of severe weather. During the warmer summer months, when construction work is just ratcheting up, tumultuous thunderstorms can strike with little or no warning. Workers are particularly susceptible to these dangerous windstorms because they are out in the open, far away from the nearest shelter. Our mobile tornado shelters can add a much needed dimension of safety and reassurance on any job site.
Mobile tornado shelters can protect employees from the unexpected
The nature of severe storms and dangerous weather is changing. Did you know that most tornadoes occur during the mid-afternoon? That’s when your workforce and job-site is starting to unwind for the day. Workers deserve an easily-accessible and practical tornado shelter at office facilities, factories and remote job-site locations alike. The scope of storms is also changing. To the astonishment of meteorologists, the most destructive and dangerous tornadoes are now migrating to the southeast, which is where most year-round construction projects take place. As a project manager, you not only have to manage complex operations—part of any project is safety. Invest in a durable and vetted storm shelter or safe room that can also double as a heat-up or cool-down facility, with the benefit of tornado safe protection.
Tornadoes can happen anywhere. Tornado season is now almost year-around. There’s no time that exists now when you are completely immune from these catastrophic forces. Last month, a two whirling tornadoes claimed the lives of at least 12 people and injured hundreds more in a factory district just outside Wuhan, China. Factory housing and sprawling industrial complexes laid in complete ruin. The tornado’s tremendous force was on full display as reporters captured images of a doubled-over tower crane. It appears as this area, much like other construction zones stateside, are prone to sporadic chaotic weather. Just two weeks before the deadly Chinese tornado, a similar thunderstorm claimed the lives of two employees who were cleaning an exterior wall when a gush of wind smashed their gondola into the building like a toy car.
Turnkey installation that won’t interrupt the job-site
We make installation easy and simple. Our commercial sized tornado shelters and safe rooms can accommodate anywhere from a small group of contractors to hundreds of people with just a moment’s notice. Constructed from solid 1/4″ plate steel, these customizable safe rooms and shelters meet all federal specifications and are certified by Texas Tech National Wind Institute in strict accordance to FEMA 320 (2014), FEMA 361 (2015), and ICC-500 (2014) standards for wind-rated impact of 250 mph ground speed tornado events.
