Temporary fencing is an increasingly growing solution for construction sites and workers. It’s easy to use, it’s flexible, and it can be installed with ease.
However, it is the installing element that is of the utmost importance when on site. This is because temporary fencing, for all great, can still pose a safety risk if it is not set up and held in place with the right tools and equipment.
Battling things such as high winds and storms, even volume of people and vehicles moving around and through the site’s fencing, needs to be taken into consideration.
Making sure you have the right procedures for securing fence panels can help avoid any serious accidents occurring.
No one wants their temporary fencing to pose a threat to employees, or indeed the general public, so robust installation methods matched with stability accessories are vital.
Staying safe on site
Temporary fence panels are an easy target for high winds if they’re not appropriately secured. And trust us, like dominoes once one panel falls, so will another and another and another…
A falling fence panel not only causes disruption and more work for everyone on site, but it also increases the chances of severe accidents happening by creating a much more dangerous situation all around.
How to avoid such situations
Keeping your temporary fencing upright at all times means equipping it with accessories that enhance its stability. Items such as struts or weight blocks are a great solution.
Using additional equipment like this, not only stops your fencing from falling down but it can also prevent vandalism as fences become much harder to push over or lift, so no unwanted visitors can gain access to areas they shouldn’t.
Reinforcing your fencing with struts or weight blocks also helps to keep your employees focused on the job at hand instead of needing to take the time out of their job to keep erecting a fallen fence!
Stability equipment is also essential if you’re using solid fence panels or if you have banners/signs attached to fence panels, as these will tend to catch more wind, so have an increased chance of falling.
The good, the bad, and the outright dangerous ways to secure site fencing
When it comes to stabilising temporary fencing, time and cost shouldn’t come into it, but rather they should be considered as part of the entire package.
This is mainly because, if you didn’t purchase the struts or the weight blocks due to the cost, think about how much money it will cost you if an accident was to happen due to negligence…is it really worth the risk?
Also, things like putting spare bricks onto the base of the fence, or using wooden crates to balance the fencing out, to be completely honest, never work, full stop.
It not only doesn’t work, but it’s also dangerous and using such methods lowers the level of safety on your site two-fold!
The best way to make your fencing stable and secure is to firstly work out where the fencing is going to be placed, how much of the fencing you will be using, and what external elements you will expect, and need the fencing to be able to withstand?
Based on these findings, you will then be able to choose the most suitable weight required for the fence.
Stabilising systems
There are a few stabilising systems available and suitable for temporary fencing, and again the one you decide to be most suited for your project will be based on several factors relating to your site and the work you’re carrying out.
Systems include:
- Fence stability braces – stabilising braces that are attached to the fence panels at intervals.
- Ground spikes – pinned into the soft underground and allow you to attach your stability braces firmly.
- Strut systems – connect the fence at the base and also provides enough weight and structure that fences can’t be lifted.
- Stabiliser base – weighs your fencing down.
- Reflective strips – increases visibility, especially at night.
There can be a lot to think about and consider when it comes to temporary fencing, however, whatever system you opt for, the team at Site Fencing is on hand to help — finding the best and most suitable stabilising systems as well as the most temporary fencing for sale.
Make sure your site fencing is 100% safe and secure, call Site Fencing today on 01274 833 396 and see how we can help you.
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