When building a work site plan, key factors include safety, efficiency, quality of equipment and budget. As you consider ground protection solutions for your construction or industrial work site, start with the following six questions to choose the correct product for your needs.
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1. Should I choose wood or composite access mats?
You need a safe, stable, flexible and durable foundation to get your work done on time while protecting crews and equipment in all conditions and climates. Composite mats are engineered to provide that access.
Composite construction mats better protect workers and equipment, improve ROI and safeguard the environment at any job site. Consider the following benefits.
2. What are the ground conditions for the project?
Determine the surface you will build on: soil, mud, saturated, rocky, grassy, sandy, sloped, etc.
Composite mats conform more easily to uneven surfaces and can be joined with pins to build consistent work and access surfaces. The overlapping flanges and locking pins reduce gaps and breaks that lead to excessive wear and tear, damage to equipment and injury to workers.
Questions about the soil condition of your site, the bearing capacity of the sub-grade, the load and traffic requirements and duration of the project will all impact the number of mats and the configuration of your road or work site. These issues are best addressed by geoengineers or project managers prior to installation.
3. What is the application?
Is it a work platform or access road? Once you've determined the application, plan your starting point &#; Point A &#; and your ending point &#; Point B. What are you using the road or platform for?
Factors can include:
- Changing terrain or sub-grade conditions for a longer temporary roadway
- Expected daily traffic on the matting
- Duration of project
- Need for passing or turn lanes
- Work site land restoration requirements
Create a site plan. Consult field training guides or an expert adviser about preferred layouts and order of mat placement for best performance for your conditions.
Consider whether you need heavy-duty, medium-duty or light-duty composite matting for the best return on investment. Signature experts have years of experience to advise on the best product for your project.
4. What equipment is involved?
What trucks and heavy equipment will be operating on the installed roads or platforms during the same hours of operation? Will you need passing or turn lanes?
What is your heaviest piece of equipment?
Always ask for the performance specs and recommended load limits before choosing ground protection to keep your personnel and equipment safe.
For example, the largest and heaviest telescoping cranes have specific safety requirements for ground protection.
5. Are there any requirements or site regulations regarding cross-contamination of chemicals, toxins or invasive plants, stormwater runoff or other restrictions?
Environmental regulations in some states or for sensitive sites often require composite matting to ensure that no invasive species or cross-contamination of site-related waste or debris reach the ground.
Research any restrictions for the area you're working in and ensure you understand the requirements for your project before setting up.
Composite mats can be pressure washed before or after removal, reused and transported to new work sites without fear of cross-contamination. Wood mats absorb water and contaminants and cannot be easily or effectively cleaned.
If toxic liquids are present that should not reach the ground, use a waterproof protective layer or geotextile first before placing mats on-site.
6. Do you plan to re-use the ground protection for another project or transport it to another location?
If yes, understand the reusability and ROI benefits of high-quality composite matting compared with wood matting that can save you time and money over the course of the project and subsequent projects.
Composite mats are consistent in quality, don&#;t rot, split or lose strength when wet. They are lighter in weight and require fewer trucks to move.
Companies can transport more composite mats than wood mats on each truck, reducing shipping, labor and fuel costs and saving valuable time in tight operations schedules.
Because composite mats limit damage to the work site, crews also spend less time on cleanup repairing rutting or soil compaction issues on affected property.
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Learn more about our leading construction and industrial matting MegaDeck® HD+, SignaRoad® and DuraDeck®.
How to decide which trackmat you should hire for your project?
Trackmats and temporary access mats come in different materials, with different load-bearing capabilities, so it can be hard to know which one to choose for your project. We offer three types of mats for hire, Aluminium DTH mats, Tuff Trak and HDPE.
Which ground support mat is best for your project?
Aluminium Trackway Panels
Our aluminium DTH trackway panels provide 3-metre-wide temporary access. This allows even the heaviest vehicles to travel safely over harsh terrain despite bad conditions.
HDPE ground protection mats
Our HDPE mats are flexible yet tough, designed for use in industrial environments. This type of medium access ground protection is not easy to damage over time.
TuffTrak
The TuffTrak is a dual-sided composite road mat that can bear a load of up to 150tn. It is suitable for use as a crane pad or roadway. Made of HDPE, it offers excellent durability and strength.
Questions you should ask yourself before choosing which trackmats to hire
What are the ground conditions likely to be?
This is probably the most important question to ask, What surface are we working with, soil, mud, rocks, grass, sand or sloped ground? We connect our HDPE and Aluminium mats with pins to prevent trips and slips. Before choosing a mat, you should determine the ground conditions because they affect the load-bearing of the ground support mats.
What is the intended application?
What do you need, an access road or a platform? Where are the start and end points of your project? To choose the best ground protection matting for your job, you must consider the route it will take, and where the terrain may change. You should think about the traffic expected as well as the duration of the project.
It&#;s also important to assess whether you will need heavy, medium or light-duty matting, our experts can help with this, as well as determining where to place the mats.
What vehicles will you be using?
What machines or vehicles will use the trackmats? Do you know how heavy the equipment is? Have you checked the limits of each mat?
Whilst it&#;s highly important to check load bearing before choosing which mat to go with, do you know the safety specs of the equipment, large cranes and other machinery often have their own specific safety needs. Knowing this will help you to ensure maximum safety for your personnel.
Are there any site regulations or rules?
It&#;s common for there to be regulations around both safety and the environment. This could include using HDPE or Aluminium matting to make sure no invasive species or site-related waste reaches the ground. You should research the restrictions and rules in your area to make sure they&#;re all adhered to.
All our trackmats for hire can be pressure washed following removal to avoid cross-contamination. Wooden or more porous mats may be much more difficult to clean effectively.
What do we look at to decide which mat is best for your project?
Durability
A heavy-duty mat is just that, heavy-duty, with load-bearing capabilities of 150tn. These mats are crucial in protecting the ground from heavy vehicles and even heavy footfall. By using trackmats, your personnel and vehicles are protected from uneven or boggy ground.
Traction
The surface of the mats provides traction for people and machinery, mitigating slips, and falls. The flush interlocking capability allows for a completely seamless surface to prevent trip risk. Traction is important, especially when looking at placing mats in uneven or boggy areas.
Load bearing
Each type of mat that we offer for hire has a different load-baring capability, for different applications. They help to distribute weight over a larger area when on uneven ground to reduce the risk of your machinery sinking into the ground. This is important to know as the weight you may be loading onto the mats may cause them damage.
Application
Ground support mats have many different uses within many different sectors. They&#;re used at construction, events, rail maintenance, telecoms, portable buildings, film, TV and loads more. The intended application could lead to choosing a specific material or type of ground support mat.
Environmental protection
All our trackmats for hire are eco-friendly in material and function. Each of our products is made from recycled material. They also work to protect the environment.
What applications are different trackmats used for?
Light Duty Mats
Typically designed for pedestrian traffic and small machinery, these mats have a lower load capacity. These mats are used for landscaping and pedestrian access.
Medium Duty Mats
A medium-duty mat can handle light to moderately heavy machinery. Medium-duty mats are employed for temporary roadway purposes.
Heavy Duty Mats
Heavy-duty mats are made to support heavy machinery and equipment. Their load capacity can be up to 150tn. They are commonly used as crane pads.
So which mat should you choose?
Your choice of trackmat depends on several factors and considerations. It&#;s important to check ground conditions, load-bearing capabilities and specific site regulations. Each type of mat aligns with specific projects, so being certain of what you will need from the trackmats you hire is key. By considering all factors, you can make a properly informed decision, ensuring the safety and success of your project.
Are you interested in learning more about hdpe ground protection mats? Contact us today to secure an expert consultation!