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Working Safely at Night: Lighting and Alertness
If you cannot see the hazard or if you feel your focus slipping, stop and fix it immediately.
Why this matters
- Working at night is often necessary in our region to avoid the extreme heat of the day. However, our bodies are naturally programmed to sleep when it is dark. This means your reaction times may be slower and your focus might not be as sharp as it is during the day.
- Shadows and poor lighting can hide dangers that are easy to see in sunlight. Trips, falls, and accidents with moving machinery are much more likely when visibility is low. We must take extra care to ensure our workspace is bright enough to see every detail of the task.
Talking points
- Walk your work area before starting to identify dark spots, shadows, or hidden trip hazards.
- Report any flickering or broken tower lights to your supervisor immediately: do not wait for someone else to do it.
- Ensure your high-visibility vest is clean: dirt and grease stop the reflective strips from working under site lights.
- Use personal headlamps or torches for detailed tasks, but never rely on them as the only light source for a large area.
- Keep a close watch on your work mates: if you see someone stumbling or appearing dazed, tell them to take a short break.
- Be extra careful when moving vehicles or plant: distances are much harder to judge accurately in the dark.
- Maintain a clear path to the emergency exit and muster point: these areas must be the best-lit parts of the site.
Ask the crew
- Where are the darkest or most dangerous spots on our site during this shift?
- What is the procedure if the main site lighting fails suddenly while you are working?
- How can we tell if a teammate is becoming too fatigued to work safely?
Download the PDF with attendance sheet
More high-risk work talks
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