Hiring Ground Protection Mats Made Easy

When hiring ground protection mats for your event, building project or other circumstance, it’s important to ensure your planning is spot on. You don’t want to pay for the mats for longer than you need to, so it’s important to make sure your dates are as accurate as possible.

Ground Access Hire can not only deliver and collect protection mats but can also install and assemble if so required. Here are a few quick details that will make the process of ordering much, much easier.

We will need not only your address (for further communication) but the actual address and postcode you wish the ground protection mats delivered to. As mentioned above, the relevant dates that the mats are required for and the length of time that they will be needed.

If possible, it would also help us to know what the ground conditions will be like where the mats are to be laid. We realise, if you are ordering well in advance that this can be difficult, but if to the best of your knowledge you can supply us with details, this will help immensely.

You will also need to tell us what the mats will be used for. Are you planning a small event, where just people will have access across the mats or will they be used for something much bigger and require vehicles to have access across the mats? If you will be using them for a temporary road, what length and width do you need them to be?

If you need any more information, you can find it on our website at Ground Access Hire.

Temporary Roadways - Another Form of Ground Protection

A temporary roadway can be used in areas as small as a garden or as large as a major building site and they are primarily designed to help heavy machinery cross areas of lawn or tarmac without causing any damage to the surface underneath.

You may want to build a swimming pool or other large water feature and will require heavy machinery, such as diggers and dump trucks (depending on the size of the project) to move across the ground to get access to the site.

The portable trackway or roadway pieces are specifically designed to carry this sort of weight and ensure that at the end of the job, your garden or piece of land is still in good condition.

Temporary roadways can also be constructed on building sites and they can be particularly useful for laying down across level crossings to prevent damage to the surface.

If you have a small or large building project coming up and are wondering how you will protect the ground from heavy plant that require access to the area, then these trakmats or ground protection mats can prove to be the ideal solution. Please visit our main Ground Access Hire website for lots more details and information.

Planning 2014 Outdoor Summer Events

With 2013 rapidly drawing to a close, most big event organisers will already be rubbing their hands at the prospect of a bumper summer in 2014, when the music festival season once again comes around. The elite events are probably already organised to the minutest detail, with perhaps the exception of finalising the line-up. However, plenty of other events (apart from actual dates set in stone) will still be very much in the planning process.

That means there is still plenty of time to make sure you have your ground protection plan in place. Many of the modern outdoor events take place on hired pieces of land that owners expect to get back in the best condition possible. If you have witnessed some of the previous big summer festivals, a mud bath is not an entirely uncommon occurrence. However, where possible, the implementation of ground protection mats, these kinds of situations can be minimised.

The mats themselves can be used as walkways, they can also be used as temporary roads and even temporary car parks, which can make the transport situation a much smoother process in an area that is not used to lots of traffic and vehicles.

Check out the main website at Ground Access Hire for lots more details.

Preparing for your Bonfire Night Firework Parties with Ground Protection

If you are part of a group that organises special outdoor events and functions, you may well be looking back at the summer with a degree of satisfaction (especially after the weather of the last few years) having enjoyed a relatively decent and dry summer. Maybe you used ground protection mats, maybe you didn’t but the weather helped you out anyway and you were able to return the festival ground or farmer’s field back to the owners in pretty good shape.

As autumn and then winter descends, there are less and less of these outdoor events to organise, largely because it’s simply too cold for them to be enjoyable. However, there are still one or two significant events to organise and with the weather becoming more and more unpredictable in the latter stages of the year, it is probably even more important to prepare well.

In days gone by, November 5^th and the days either side of it, many people would have their own private fireworks parties, very often with a bonfire in the back garden. As safety concerns have risen, these sorts of private or family parties have been largely discouraged in favour of the much larger community firework displays. These are not simply a bonfire and a few fireworks though, as many of these events cater for hundreds, even thousands of people and include novelty stalls, food and drink and even fairground rides. This obviously takes a lot of organising and very often need larger areas of ground to cater for the numbers.

Ground protection mats are ideally suited to this kind of event and could prove invaluable. Even if the heavens don’t open on the night itself, the chances are that by this time of the year, the ground is soft at best and sodden at worst. The mats which can be laid very quickly (so don’t require being down too far ahead of the event itself) and taken up again quickly when the event is over can be used either as temporary parking or perhaps more importantly for temporary pathways for all of the people to walk safely on.

Avoiding a mud bath means that everyone is free to enjoy a great night of fireworks and festivities and bring peace of mind to event organisers up and down the country.

For more information about ground protection, please visit our main website at www.groundaccesshire.co.uk

An Alphabet of Ground Protection Mats: D – E

In the first two parts of this alphabetic blog series, we looked at the first three letters, A-C. So, moving on, let’s have a look at what the letters D and E present in the world of Ground Access Hire.

In fact, D and E actually bring some of the most important aspects of the whole business to the fore, two of the most crucial ingredients for the whole ground protection industry.

D

Damage Avoidance – Really the whole point of ground protection and the use of ground protection mats is to avoid damage to the ground that ultimately ends up underneath them. As we have seen in previous chapters, the ground in question could be anything from a new building site, a large summer music festival (event access) or even someone’s back garden where a small wedding might be taking place.

The protection mats themselves are designed to deliver an artificial surface that is both strong and safe to not only walk on but in many cases, to drive on as well, all the while providing protection to the ground underneath from all kinds of damage.

Although their function is essentially always the same (protection the ground), the mats are versatile in the sense that they can be used for walkways, roadways or even car parks on a temporary basis. In the past, plywood panels have sometimes been used for some of these situations but the grip on the mats, which are made from HD polyethylene, is far superior and makes them a much more suitable choice.

E

Emergency Access – Sometimes, essential building work needs to take place outside or near to very important buildings or areas, such as hospitals or perhaps a section of road that needs to be repaired but on which traffic needs to continue to flow. The ground protection mats are ideal for providing temporary emergency access to places such as these and are of course strong and sturdy enough to carry out the job required comfortably. The fact that the mats are easy to assemble, to put into position and then dismantle and remove again when no longer required, makes them absolutely ideal for emergency access situations.

You can of course, learn lots more about our ground protection mats over on our main website, where you can also contact us if you wish to hire some of the mats for one of your own events.

An Alphabet of Ground Protection Mats: C

Continuing our interesting look at how the services of Ground Access Hire work their way through the alphabet. We have just reached the letter “C”.

Car Boot Sales – It has arguably been the century of the car boot sale so far. With an increasing interest in antiques, not to mention a global financial crisis - with everyone on the lookout for a great bargain, car boot sales have become one of the top Sunday afternoon hunting grounds. So, the two main ingredients of a car boot sale – cars and people – are the two main reasons why ground protection mats can make such a difference at these events. Very often hosted on fields, the mats can be used to absorb all that weight of both vehicles and trampling feet.

Caravan Parks – Another area ideally suited to the temporary protection that the mats can provide, providing a covering for the ground and stability for caravans and vehicles. When that rain comes and it will come, the mats can help to avoid a mountain of misery.

Construction Industry – Heavy machinery, building sites, British weather – a perfect recipe for a complete and utter mess and mud bath. The ground protection mats can work on areas that are grassed or already paved as well areas that require storage but perhaps more importantly, the temporary roadways and pathways can make the whole experience much nicer. These sorts of mats are very much a staple of the construction industry.

An Alphabet of Ground Protection Mats: A-B

In this upcoming series of blogs we are going to be looking at all things to do with ground protection mats, where you might find them, what you might use them for and how they can make a difference in a variety of situations. We are going to use the alphabet because it just seems like a methodical way to work our way through all of the benefits and features that are available through Ground Access Hire.

A

Access – Ground protection mats are all about creating access to areas that might otherwise become impassable – usually for safety reasons. It might be a car park, it might be a roadway or a pathway. In fact, the mats could be used for almost anything that helps to provide better, safer, easier access to a whole host of events and venues.

Air Shows – During summer months, air shows are extremely popular and you can find them at various places up and down the country. While most of your time will be spent looking up towards the low flying aircraft and the fantastic formations and displays, you will often take for granted what is below you. What if the weather turns sour? What if the ground the show is taking place on, is normally precious farmland? Will the field become a mud bath? Can the ground cope with hundreds, even thousands of people walking across it? The solution – ground protection mats.

B

Building Sites – If you have ever worked on a building site, you will know just how dangerous and precarious they can be without all of the right equipment and safety gear on site. In fact, the last 20 or 30 years have seen many improvements in health and safety and most well run building sites simply won’t allow work to commence until everything is in place. Ground protection mats can be used for many different areas of a building site. They can be used to create temporary car parks and roadways for heavy machinery and equipment or they can be laid in areas where perhaps there are portable toilets to provide some stability. So, the mats are really important in this particular industry.

How Trak Mats Can Aid Developers

Many towns and cities are seeing an increase in construction. Big developments such as supermarkets, out-of-town retail parks and housing developments are springing up across the country. Industry experts surmise that the growth may highlight that the UK is finally out of recession.

However, with re-development comes mess and concerns for structures already in place. Popular in the construction industry at the moment is the need for ground protection mats. Not only do they protect the ground underneath but they also provide a safe and secure roadway for construction vehicles.

The temporary ground protection panels are often used for safeguarding existing block-work, tarmac or grassed areas from heavy loads and machinery whilst enabling an easy site route for vehicles and plant hire.

The easy to use mats can be taken away quickly at the end of development with the minimum of fuss and no damage to the ground underneath.

The use of these mats will save money as there will be no damage to carry out from heavy tools and machinery. The only equipment required to tighten the bolts on these mats is an Impact Driver and a 14mm socket.

There are many benefits to using Ground Access Hire's boards. TrakMats are;

·         Lightweight, only 33kgs

·         Easy to handle 

·         Constructed from durable HD Polyethylene renowned for being a tough material.

·         Connected together easily and joined using Urethane connectors and bolts. 

Size Doesn’t Matter - Ground Protection for Events Large and Small

You heard it here first...size doesn't matter, at least not when it comes to the size of your summer event or festival and your need for protecting the ground with our ground protection mats. If you are having a small village fete and expect just a trickle of visitors, a fancy wedding on a back field or a concert/music festival in which thousands might be in attendance, our team of professionals are well equipped to deal with any occasion.

We are about at that time of year, when music festivals up and down the country are either about to get under way or are in the final planning stages. There is usually a little something for every musical taste, with plenty to please the mainstream pop and rock fans as well as quirkier, alternative offerings.

For those of you who have been to a music festival, regardless of its size, your experience may first of all be dictated by the weather. If the heavens open, the bottom line is you are going to get wet, but if there are ground protection mats positioned in the most crucial areas of the site, then a mud bath can be avoided.

We have all seen images on our TV screens of completely drenched music lovers up to their ears in mud at major music festivals and it’s quite clear that in these particular areas ground protection mats have not been employed.

Although we are more than happy to tackle larger events here at Ground Access Hire, we are also perfectly set up to cater for smaller events. Things like car boot sales, markets and sports days can all benefit from the firm footing that the mats provide. If the event needs an area for car parking, this too is perfect for protection mats, with them protecting the ground from all of those heavy wheels and vehicles.

Another perfect use for the mats is to create temporary roadways or pathways for events held on the beach, perhaps a wedding reception or other beach event. The mats make it much easier for both vehicles and people to make their way across the sand to where the actual event is being staged.

If you are planning an event and are considering the use of protection mats, please feel free to contact us via our main website and we can certainly provide you with good advice and point you in the right direction.

The Ground Protection Top 10

Using ground protection mats is the ideal way to protect surfaces from either heavy construction or trampling feet. If you are keen to avoid a mud bath at an upcoming special event, then these easy to use mats could be the solution. Here are 10 reasons why:

Safety – With a crucial non slip surface, it means that when lots of people are walking on top of them, there is a much reduced risk of people slipping over.

Assembly – Assembling the mats into position is really simple and you won’t need any other products to help you set up. You can assemble them yourself or hire a team to sort all that out for you.

Strength – The mats are strong and can handle about 60 tonnes of weight on top of them, so if heavy machinery can easily move across the surface, thousands of people won’t be a problem either.

Lightweight – Despite their strength and durability the ground protection mats are actually relatively light. Being made from HD Polyethylene makes them really easy to handle.

Multiple Uses – Temporary car parks, temporary roadways, flooring for outdoor events such as festivals and weddings are all within the capabilities of the mats.

Different Surfaces – They can protect fields, gardens, sandy beach areas and driveways.

Looking Good – Despite being highly functional, once in situ, the protection mats actually look good too. Tidy and organised.

Time – Not only can they be quickly assembled and dismantled but they can also be used over short or long periods of time.

Versatile – What if your field isn’t flat? What if there are lumps, bumps or even steep inclines? The mats, with their different available connections are suitable for all kinds of terrain.

Ground Access Hire – A company that are not only expert and experienced suppliers of ground protection mats but they will also, in most cases and if you request it, install the mats ahead of your event or building work and also be on site to dismantle and remove the mats once your project is completed, giving you peace of mind and confidence that the job will be done correctly and safely.

For much more information about ground protection mats for your summer festival or building enterprise, please visit our main website over at www.groundaccesshire.co.uk, where you can browse through all the services and products we provide and find our details if you wish to ask us further questions.

Planning For the Summer with Ground Access Hire

After a particularly grim winter, most people will be turning their attentions to the upcoming summer months and hoping for far better weather than has been on offer in the last 12 months. You might even be planning your own summer event, whether it’s a festival (large or small), an outdoor wedding with reception to follow or even a series of car boot sales.

If you are hosting an event such as this on a piece of land that is normally a field (public or private) or even on a large private garden, then you are probably already considering the best way to protect the ground.

Here at Ground Access Hire (view our main website by following the link) we offer solutions for a range of different situations in which the ground needs to be protected in some way.

Ground protection mats are absolutely ideal for the sorts of events and functions mentioned above and can be used in a range of different environments such as fields, gardens, car parks and even beaches!

When wet weather does unfortunately present a problem at our summer fetes and festivals, the ground protection mats can either help to prevent a build up of mud or make the ground safer if mud has already accumulated.

Despite being really strong, these mats are also very light and easy to manage. Depending on your requirements and the size of your event, you could either put the mats into position yourself or ask the Ground Access Hire team to install them for you. Hopefully, we will see better weather this year, but this is the UK after all and the next deluge is never too far away!

If you are planning a special occasion outdoors this summer, please visit our website for lots more information about how you can protect your surface.

Introducing Ground Access Hire

Welcome to the Ground Access Hire Blog, which we hope will become an interesting companion piece to our main website.

What/who is Ground Access Hire? It’s a company of dedicated professionals who are specialists in the supply and installation of Ground Protection Mat Applications.

What does that actually mean? Well, if you have ever been to an outdoors event such as a music festival, it’s likely you have walked all across these ground protection mats and your life has been made much easier because of them. Some mud baths are almost unavoidable but the mats can either help to prevent one in the first place or make areas safer that are already covered in mud.

It’s not just mats for festivals and outdoor events; they can also be used in the construction industry and used as temporary roadways for heavy machinery to gain access to building sites and other areas of industry.

What we hope to do via this blog, is bring you a little bit closer to the action, tell you a bit more about what we can do and what we can offer and hopefully provide you with some useful information, especially if you have some upcoming construction work or outdoor events planned.

For more detailed information, please see our main website at Ground Access Hire.