Can Construction Work Be Done At Night?
At night, the temperatures are cooler, reduced traffic and congestion, night construction is a necessity in the sector. When the heat and daily bustle don’t slow you down, you’ll be able to work more efficiently. Working at night has various advantages, but the question is, can construction work be done at night?
The response is an emphatic “yes” in this case. Many types of construction function well at night, but it necessitates some adjustments in terms of safety and setup. To meet the special requirements of working at night, you may need to reorganize timetables or change machinery choices.
The following are some factors to consider when deciding whether your construction work can be done at night:
1. Lighting requirements:
While many jobs in a project may be completed under work lights, others, such as detailed carpentry, require the full light of day. Stationary projects, such as road paving, will require different lighting than mobile operations. You’ll need to make sure your evening lighting is suitable for the task at hand.
2. Temperatures:
Colder temperatures at night in some regions will make certain chores difficult or impossible. Paving materials, for example, require a specific temperature to set properly, which can only be attained in some sites with the help of the sun. Cooler temperatures, on the other hand, can be a significant benefit in hotter places and months.
3. Disruptions to communities:
Working in or near residential areas might cause community disruptions. Construction at night necessitates a little extra caution. Construction during the night is prohibited by noise restrictions. To reduce noise, you may need to plan ahead of time and select quieter equipment. Glare from artificial lighting is also a worry, as it may disrupt the tranquil nocturnal skies.
4. Safety:
Consider the safety risks and benefits of night construction. While some operations require daytime lighting, if your project isn’t extremely hazardous, it may be an excellent choice for night construction. You should also consider the benefits of nighttime construction, such as lesser traffic and lower heat, which boost your workers’ safety. You can assess if nighttime construction is a smart choice for your project by weighing these safety issues against the job requirements and the environment.
5. Dust:
Due to the artificial lighting, any dust kicked up during construction may be more evident at night. If you’ll be releasing a lot of dust, you might wish to dampen the ground or clean it on a regular basis to improve dust control at night.
6. Productivity requirements:
Do you have a tight deadline? Construction productivity at night is generally comparable to that of daytime construction. While there are more setup requirements, there is less traffic in the construction zone and fewer heat concerns, such as the need to take more breaks to cool down.
Construction Work At Night In Nigeria?
However, it is worthy to note that, the Lagos State government has barred developers from working on building construction on weekends, public holidays, and at night in an effort to stop buildings from collapsing in the state.
Toyin Ayinde, the Commissioner for Physical Planning and Urban Development, revealed this at a ministerial news conference in Alausa, Lagos, southwest Nigeria, lamenting the fact that the administration had been besieged with complaints of fallen buildings across the state.
According to him, one thing that these occurrences had in common was that the collapsed structures were under construction and in remote sections of the state.
As a result, the ministry will soon extend its service, particularly monitoring, removal of illegal structures, and arresting developers and their workers found on sites outside of regular working hours,” he said, “in order to be able to tackle this unwholesome trend and behavior head-on and appropriately stem the preponderance of these illegal activities.”
Advantages Of Nighttime Construction
Working nighttime provides your staff with a number of advantages over daytime work. They will be able to work in more pleasant conditions, with less traffic, better lighting, and the opportunity to visit their family during the day. These benefits of nighttime construction will only be realized if you follow night construction safety guidelines to keep everyone on the job site safe.
1. Cooler Temperatures
Exhaustion and heat stroke are two life-threatening disorders caused by heat. With increasing air temperature and humidity, the risk of these situations increases. The heat index is a “feels-like” measurement created by meteorologists by combining humidity and temperature. This measurement more closely depicts how people are affected by different temperatures. Heat-related illnesses should be avoided in any situation where the temperature exceeds 80 degrees Fahrenheit (ca. 27 °C).
2. Reduced Traffic
When you’re part of a construction crew that has to obstruct traffic, you want the least amount of traffic feasible to reduce the impact on drivers and your job site. You can cut off more lanes with less traffic, strengthening your workers’ safety barrier against vehicle movement. Nighttime construction not only improves the working environment for your crew but also has a reduced impact on local companies that don’t operate at night.
Those facilities will be able to operate normally during the day, unaffected by the renovation. After the stores close for the night, your team can begin working on your project. Construction projects that take place at night allow you and local companies to work side by side without disturbing one another.
3. Brighter Artificial Lights
During the day, the sun, and cloud cover determine the illumination on your job site. The vision of personnel on the job site could be harmed if a single cloud obscures the sun. When it comes to nighttime construction, you can use artificial lights that aren’t obscured by clouds and hence have a lower light intensity. You can choose the places that require more illumination with artificial lights.
By introducing several lights to your job site, you’ll be able to remove gloomy, murky regions that could cause workers to trip. You have more control over the quantity of light your workers have at night than you have during the day. When it comes to road construction, artificial lighting adds another layer of protection. Drivers will be able to see and avoid the worksite with better lighting.
4. Schedule Better
When your staff works at night, they have more time during the day to attend their children’s sporting events and school festivities. Workers can be more productive on the job site if they make time for their families. Workers will also have reduced traffic congestion on their way to and from work. They will spend less time stressed in traffic because they will commute outside of regular peak hours, making them more at ease and productive when they arrive.
6. Lower Costs
Despite popular opinion, the cost of construction at night is often the same as or cheaper than that of daytime projects. The cost savings of working at night are heavily influenced by the size of the project. Larger projects can spread the expense of nighttime lighting and safety equipment over the project or across numerous jobs, minimizing the overall impact on the entire construction cost.
Closing only a few lanes instead of entirely shutting down a roadway, and scheduling contiguous projects concurrently with separate teams or consecutively with the same crew are two other techniques to assure nighttime construction costs less than daytime construction.
Conclusion
You won’t have to worry about midnight construction if your staff has the correct equipment. From road barriers and signs to nighttime construction safety apparel, you’ll need to equip your teams with new equipment to keep them safe when working after dark. Working overnight minimizes traffic and heat hazards, but you must prepare your site and staff for the experience with a complete array of jobsite safety equipment and clothing. Ensure that you obtain the high-visibility signs, safety equipment, and other items you want for a safe working environment.