Site hoardings are an essential aspect of any construction project and are fundamental to the entire construction process.
Westgate Hoardfence external hoarding
Hoardings are important for a number of reasons which can be categorised into two separate areas:
The practical and physical benefits to the site, surrounding area and the public
The opportunities for branding and advertising
1. The Practical and physical benefits of construction hoarding:
Helps you comply with legal requirements and regulations
The Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 highlights the duty of care that all construction companies and site managers are responsible for, which is to take all reasonable steps to ensure that both employees and the public are safe from construction work hazards.
This makes site hoarding a legal requirement for construction projects as a boundary must be put in place between the ongoing work and the public.
The Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2007 include the two most important standards that need to be met: that ‘reasonable steps’ are taken to prevent unauthorised access to a site (regulation 13.6) and that the public is offered appropriate protection (regulation 27.2). When you break down the rules and regulations, your construction site hoarding needs to:
Be tall enough that it can’t be easily scaled
Be secure enough that it can’t be knocked/blown down or penetrated
Obscure the site visually, to deter opportunistic theft or temptation to enter
Control access to the site through secure gates/access points
Provides safety and security
One of the main benefits of implementing construction site hoarding is that it provides security for your building site, which can help prevent theft and financial loss by ensuring authorised access only to the site. Construction hoarding also protects the general public from serious injury, by creating barriers around potential hazards such as:
On-site vehicles
Falling objects
Construction equipment
Noise, dust or vibration
Construction hoarding is also useful if you’re trying to keep your project under wraps and don’t want any aspects revealed before it is completely finished.
Allows processes to continue
It may be that the construction work being carried out is being done on a live site in which various business processes must continue. For example within an office, retail or warehouse space. Internal hoarding can be used in this instance to completely segregate the construction from the live work environment and allows business to continue as usual.
2. Branding and advertising benefits of construction hoarding
Brand awareness & advertising
Site hoarding enables you to create advertising campaigns to promote your project or brand. This boost to your brand awareness is particularly sizable when located in busy urban areas, roadsides, or indoor spaces which receive large amounts of pedestrian traffic such as shopping centres. Striking graphics and well designed hoarding can help you generate buzz and excitement for whatever it is you’re building.
Wayfinding signage
Construction hoarding can be used as effective wayfinding signage platforms, especially in areas which see a lot of footfall and can help promote local businesses nearby. But more importantly, hoarding can also provide a useful service to the public if the construction site obscures or obstructs a pathway they may have wanted to use by directing them through to the right path.
Getting the right construction hoarding for your next project
When choosing your hoarding you need to make sure it’s completely suitable for your project and there are 5 key elements to your hoarding that you should consider:
Is it strong and durable enough to provide a secure barrier and withstand adverse weather if used externally?
Is it quick and hassle-free to install?
Is it adaptable to the site location and does it suit my requirements i.e. noise control, dust prevention?
Does it adhere to the controlled access requirements of the site and incorporate appropriate signage?
Is the product aligned with the sustainability goals of the construction project itself?
