Work at Height in Autumn: Wind, Rain, When to Stop
The wind that was bearable in the morning is throwing OSB boards off the roof by the afternoon. When the regulations tell you to stop work at height.
September and October are a sprint on site: facades, roofs, flashings - everything has to be closed up before winter. Except autumn plays against you. The wind that was bearable in the morning is throwing OSB boards off the roof by the afternoon. Rain turns platforms into an ice rink, and by five it's already dark. It's exactly in these conditions that falls from height happen - and exactly then that the PIP (Polish Labour Inspectorate) inspector asks whether you were even allowed to carry on working. In this post I go through it in order: when the regulations tell you to stop work at height, what the weather changes in your documentation and how to plan autumn works so you never face the choice of "deadline or safety". At BudoReady you've got a ready-made risk assessment and instructions for work at height that take weather conditions into account - just fill in your company details.
Key points at a glance
- Work at height is particularly hazardous work - and in autumn the risk grows with wind, rainfall and short days.
- The regulation on OSH during construction works bans scaffolding assembly and dismantling in wind above 10 m/s, during rainfall, dense fog, storms, black ice and at dusk without lighting.
- After every strong wind and downpour the scaffolding needs an ad hoc inspection with a written entry - before anyone climbs on.
- Your occupational risk assessment (ORZ) and IBWR (safe work execution instruction) must cover weather conditions - the inspector asks about this.
- The decision to stop work belongs to the person supervising the works - and there has to be a procedure for it, not "it'll be fine".
Why autumn is the worst season for work at height
Statistically, a fall from height is the most common cause of serious and fatal accidents on Polish construction sites. In autumn three factors pile up at once: slippery surfaces (rain, leaves, morning frost), gusty wind and an ever shorter day. Add deadline pressure - the roof has to be closed, the facade finished, because winter will halt the works for good.
That combination means crews work in conditions no one would climb scaffolding in during summer. And that is exactly why the regulations leave no room for discretion here. The documentation basics of work at height - harnesses, fall protection, the list of works - are laid out in the post work at height - OSH requirements and documents. Here I focus on what the weather changes.
When the regulations tell you to stop - specifics
The Regulation of the Minister of Infrastructure of 6 February 2003 on occupational safety and health during construction works explicitly lists conditions in which some works are prohibited. The clearest rules concern scaffolding: assembly and dismantling must not be carried out at dusk (unless lighting giving good visibility is provided), in dense fog, during rain and snowfall, in black ice, during a storm and in wind exceeding 10 m/s.
On top of that come the general duties: the employer must stop work when weather conditions endanger safety, and keep platforms and walkways in a condition that creates no hazard - cleared of snow, free of ice, without a layer of wet leaves. In practice it looks like this:
| Conditions | What you do |
|---|---|
| Wind above 10 m/s | Stop for scaffolding assembly and dismantling, and for works where wind creates a hazard (e.g. handling boards or sheet metal on a roof) |
| Rain, snow, black ice | Break in scaffolding assembly; no work on wet or icy platforms until they are made safe |
| Storm | Immediate descent from height - steel structures and scaffolding act as lightning rods |
| Dense fog, dusk without lighting | Stop for works requiring good visibility, including scaffolding assembly |
| After a gale or downpour | Ad hoc scaffolding inspection with an entry - before the crew goes back up |
An important detail firms forget: 10 m/s is roughly 36 km/h. That's not a gale - it's a stronger autumn wind that looks harmless in the forecast. That's why the person supervising the works should have a simple way of assessing it (forecast, anemometer, observation) and a clear right to call "we're coming down".
Ad hoc scaffolding inspection - a duty, not good practice
In autumn scaffolding goes through more than in summer: wind tugs at the netting, rain softens the ground under the base plates, night frosts do their work. That's why after every strong wind, heavy rainfall and longer break in use you carry out an ad hoc inspection - you check anchorages, verticality, platforms and footing, and record the result.
This is the most common autumn gap in documentation: the scaffolding has stood since August, two gales have passed, and the papers contain only the handover report. Who hands over scaffolding, how the 10-day inspections work and what to keep in the binder - we've laid it out in the post scaffolding - handover, inspections, documentation.
What the weather changes in your documentation
Occupational risk assessment
The ORZ for job positions working at height should treat weather as a risk factor: slippery surfaces, wind, limited visibility, low temperature. If your risk assessment says nothing about the weather while the crew works on a roof in November, the inspector will consider it inadequate for the real conditions. How to build a risk assessment properly is in the post ORZ on site - how to do it right.
IBWR for work at height
The safe work execution instruction for work at height should state in what conditions work stops and who decides. This is a document that genuinely protects you: if after an accident it turns out the IBWR required stopping work in wind and the foreman ignored it, liability is distributed differently than if the document never existed. When an IBWR is mandatory is covered in the post IBWR - when it's mandatory.
Personal protective equipment
In autumn, review the PPE allocation too: footwear with anti-slip soles, gloves that keep their grip when wet, high-visibility clothing for the short days. Harnesses and fall-arrest gear need checking after the summer season - wet, frozen webbing loses its parameters faster.
How to plan autumn works so you're not backed into a corner
- Schedule work at height for the first part of the day - wind is usually weaker in the morning and there's enough light.
- Keep backup work "at ground level" - when the wind exceeds the limits, the crew switches to indoor work instead of standing idle.
- Check the forecast ahead and look at gusts, not just average wind speed.
- Appoint one decision-maker - one person calls the stop and records it in the site documentation.
- Secure materials stored at height - boards, sheets and membranes against gusts; falling material endangers bystanders too.
Frequently asked questions
At what wind speed must work on scaffolding stop?
The regulations explicitly prohibit scaffolding assembly and dismantling in wind exceeding 10 m/s. For work on already erected scaffolding, the general rule applies: work stops when weather conditions create a hazard - with light large-format materials the safe limit is often below 10 m/s. The person supervising the works decides, based on the risk assessment and the IBWR.
Can you work at height in the rain?
Scaffolding assembly and dismantling during rainfall is prohibited. Other work at height in rain needs assessing: wet platforms and roof coverings sharply increase the risk of slipping, so if you can't provide safe conditions (drainage, anti-slip surfaces, fall protection), work must stop. After rainfall the scaffolding needs an ad hoc inspection.
Who decides to stop work because of the weather?
The person supervising the workers - the gang leader, foreman or site manager. The employer must organise work so that this decision can be made without pressure. It's worth writing the rule into the IBWR: who measures or assesses conditions, at what values work stops and where the stoppage is recorded. Remember too that a worker has the right to refrain from work when conditions directly endanger their life or health.
Does the ORZ have to cover weather conditions?
Yes. The occupational risk assessment must reflect the real conditions of the work. If you carry out work at height in autumn and winter, factors such as wind, rainfall, icing and limited visibility should appear in the ORZ together with preventive measures. An assessment written "for summer" won't hold up during a November inspection.
Documents for the autumn season - the Shield package
A risk assessment with weather factors, an OSH instruction for work at height, a written work order, training records - you can write it all yourself in the evenings, or take ready-made templates and adapt them to your firm in one sitting.
The Shield package (27 files) gives you the full set for a micro construction firm under PKD 43 (the Polish business activity code): ORZ for 5 job positions, OSH instructions (including work at height), work orders for particularly hazardous works, the PPE allocation table and training records - in Polish and Ukrainian. Do a lot of work at height and need IBWR? Choose Premium (45 files) - the only package with ready-made IBWR, including for work at height. See BudoReady packages and enter autumn with your paperwork complete, before the weather starts dictating terms.
This article is informational and does not replace advice from an OSH specialist or the current legal position. Document templates require individual adaptation to the realities of your company and specific job posts, and the current legal position is worth verifying as of the date of use.