Natural Disaster Preparedness for Construction Sites

The threat of tropical storms and hurricanes is very real for Miami-Dade County during the six-month season, which runs from June 1 to Nov 30. It is important to understand your responsibilities before, during, and after the storm. During these months please make sure to place the In Event of a Tropical Storm Warning or Hurricane Watch placard at your site.

In the event of a tropical storm or hurricane warning issued by the National Weather Service, you must secure your job site in accordance with section 8-16 of Miami-Dade County Code.

Sites must remove and/or fasten down items such as:
- Construction Shacks
- Other Miscellaneous Construction Equipment
- Other Stored Building Materials
- Protect All Glass Areas with Storm Shutters
- Roofing Tiles and Insulation Boards
- Structures That Are Not Secure
- Temporary Electric Service Pole
- Temporary Toilets
- Trash
- Forms, etc.
Hoisting Equipment shall abide by the following precautions in the event of a tropical storm or hurricane warning declaration.
- Hoisting Equipment shall abide by all manufacturers' recommendations relating to hurricane preparedness including any relating to the placement and removal of advertisement banners, the use and removal of rigging.
- Tower crane turntables must be lubricated prior to the event.
- Mobile cranes with fixed booms must be laid down whenever feasible.
- Hydraulic cranes must have booms retracted and stored.
- Any counterweighted hoist must have the counterweight locked below the top tie-in.
- Tower crane must be set in the weathervane position.
- All rigging must be removed from the hoist block.
- All power at base of tower shall be disconnected by a general contractor.
- A hurricane preparedness plan which conforms with the requirements of this section shall be available at the site for inspection.
After a storm, if your swimming pool barrier has fallen or is damaged, you must repair or replace it as a priority. A swimming pool poses a life safety threat even if it is empty.

Until you can replace or repair your pool barrier, a temporary contractor safety mesh may be erected. You can buy temporary mesh at local home improvement stores.

Also, if your swimming pool is not functioning normally, add chlorine on a regular basis to avoid excessive growth of algae and mosquito breeding conditions.