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Two ways to prevent injuries when patching up holes in your factory's paved bitumen areas

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Patching up holes in an outdoor area that is paved with bitumen can be quite dangerous. If you need to have this work carried out in your factory's outdoor area, here are two effective ways to keep everyone involved in this activity safe.

Make sure that the handle of the bitumen brush used for the repairs is long enough for the person who will be using it

If the holes in the bitumen are fairly small, it would probably be more economical and less disruptive to patch them up with a bitumen brush instead of an asphalt paving machine. However, if you instruct one of your factory employees to use this tool, it is important to ask them their height and to purchase a brush that is long enough for them to comfortably use.

If instead of, for instance, giving a tall employee a long-handle bitumen brush, you give them a much shorter one, the chances of them being injured whilst they patch up the holes will be much higher. Being forced to use a short-handled brush will result in that tall employee having to hunch over and keep their knees bent as they apply the paving materials to the holes.

Remaining in this position for several hours could injure their back by straining one or more of the muscles in this part of their body. Additionally, this position may make it harder for them to keep their balance, which could increase the risk of them falling forwards, onto the open holes in the bitumen. This could leave them with bruised and lacerated hands (due to landing on this hard and jagged surface). Reach out to a supplier of long-handle bitumen brushes to learn more.

Position a barrier around the section of the ground where the repair work will be carried out

If your factory is usually very busy and there are lots of people coming and going throughout the day, then it is important to put a high barrier around the section of the ground where the damaged bitumen is located.

The reason for this is that if other employees who walk by the person who is patching up the holes distract that person whilst they are working, that individual will be far more likely to make a mistake that will leave their co-workers badly injured.

For example, if they chatting to their nearby colleagues whilst they apply the bitumen, they may accidentally swing the brush a bit too forcefully and cause the fresh bitumen on its bristles to splatter onto the people they are talking to. This could leave these employees with severe burns.

Putting a high barrier in place that keeps those not involved in the repair work at a safe distance should ensure that accidents like this do not happen.


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