Access mats are crucial parts of any construction site because they create temporary pathways or roads to protect people, machines, vehicles, and even the ground itself. They are also visible indicators to your clients and the public that your company is conscious regarding safety and maintaining surrounding property. Here are four specific reasons why you should use access mats at all of your construction sites.
Creating a Path
Temporary ground mats are available in a variety of types for specific purposes. Light-duty mats can support people and small equipment while medium-duty mats can support cars, commercial vehicles, and construction equipment. Heavy-duty mats may be the best choice for constant traffic or the heaviest machines. Temporary mats create a pathway over ground hazards and establish the way around a site, helping direct people and equipment along the best path for quick, easy access to every area.
Providing a Stable Surface
Purpose-made access mats are superior to plywood or fiberglass boards that some construction managers use to cover the ground. Access mats provide a firm, stable surface while plywood and other materials may offer too much give or movement. Wood mats can even degrade or rot if used for an extended period. In many cases, HDPE mats, such as those from Sandhill Plastics, are a wise choice because the material is sturdy and remains stable and strong over time.
Protecting What’s Below
Temporary construction site mats protect the ground below as well as the people and equipment above. Constant foot, vehicle, or machine traffic can compact soil, wear away grass that prevents erosion, and destroy the natural microbial makeup of the soil. Mats prevent these negative environmental and agricultural consequences so that a crossed area can return to its previous use quickly and with less refurbishment after a construction project is complete.
Increasing Safety
Using construction access mats to mark intended walkways makes a site safer, especially if other routes are coned off so that people and equipment must cross the mats. A stable surface is also important to a safe working environment. Additionally, mats can prevent the inherent hazards of cracked concrete or asphalt surfaces that result from machinery crossing without protection. Properly placed mats can be as important to safety and site integrity as hard hats and barricades.
For safety, stability, protection, and guidance, access mats are crucial to today’s construction sites. Just as importantly, access mats can lower construction costs by preventing the need for costly surface repairs and soil refurbishment. They also help increase satisfaction with your company’s care for property and the environment. Even better, there are no downsides to using access mats.
Anita is a freelance writer from Denver, CO. She studied at Colorado State University, and now writes articles about about health, business, family and finance. A mother of two, she enjoys traveling with her family whenever she isn’t writing.
