Laydown Yards

Laydown yards may sometimes look like junkyards (they shouldn’t) but they couldn’t be further from junk. This is where we store equipment and supplies on site that will be needed at later date. This can be everything from welding machines, lumber, pipe, scaffolding, spools of electrical cable….. you name it, it’s probably in there. These yards can be huge, depending on which site you’re at. Some of them are spread across acres just to house everything workers need to do their job. Depending on the site and the company you work for, you may be asked to retrieve something from the yard. Some sites and companies have specific employees just for the yard and no one else is permitted. This is for good reason. Laydown yards come with their own set of hazards and the best way to avoid these hazards is organization and good housekeeping. If you are allowed into your company’s yard, here are a few things to note.

Housekeeping is key. If you need to move items to get something, put them back when you’re finished. Items should be stored with proper walkways and ample room for trucks and forklifts where needed. Still, you need to watch your footing; slips, trips and falls are very common in lay down yards. Even if your laydown yard is immaculately organized, please remember some of these items have been there for months, maybe years. Moving them at this point will disrupt the ground and you could be dealing with water, mud, snow etc, etc. Speaking of material that’s been stored for a while, you will also need to watch out for wildlife. Some of the materials stored makes a great home to all sorts of critters. Always give a once over to the item you’re removing. Make sure to use proper signage and flagging. Don’t store a pipe such that it is protruding at head or foot level and not flag it off. It’s only a matter of time until another worker will injure themselves. When using a truck or forklift to take material, always have a spotter. Make sure to communicate, with anyone else in the yard, where you’ll be and what you’re doing. Do not treat these yards like a junkyard… If something is garbage, remove if and place it where it belongs.

These yards should be well organized and easy to manoeuvre around, unfortunately that’s not always the case. So keep your head up and be on the lookout for hazards! Also make sure you’re not causing any hazards as well.