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. 

A Temporary Car Park Can Make a Permanent Difference

If you have ever hosted an event that required the use of your lawn for extra car parking, you are probably fully aware of the terrible damage that can be caused from just a few cars rolling across your pristine lawn. With summer finally under way, it’s quite possible that many of us are planning and preparing a whole host of events to be staged on our own land or property, from simple barbeques to glamorous wedding receptions.

Of course, here in the UK, the summer doesn't always (ever?) equate to good, dry weather. So, the chances are that even if the sun is shining, the ground will still be moist underfoot and you are having nightmares about those extra cars that need to park on your lawn or patch of land to avoid blocking the road.

There is a simple solution and its comes in the form of ground protection mats. They are made from HD Polyethylene which are light and hard wearing and are perfect for creating temporary car parks. The mats also have a non-slip surface, so even if there is some wet weather, it will help to prevent tyres from slipping.

Very easy to assemble and put down and just as simple to remove, they can be put into place shortly before the event and removed shortly after with the minimum of fuss.

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

Carry on Camping with Ground Protection Mats

The British summer is notorious for not being very summer like, but that doesn't stop millions of us still choosing to holiday in our own country. Of course there many wonderful places to visit up and down the UK and caravanning and camping have always been great ways of getting up close and personal with the British countryside.

However, because of that unpredictable weather, many of our camp sites and caravan sites can be turned into quagmires during holiday season and make for a very unpleasant, wet and muddy experience. Well, for camp site owners and individual caravan holidaymakers, perhaps the ground protection mats supplied by Ground Access Hire may prove to be an ideal solution and help to prevent your summer holiday from becoming a wash out.

The mats themselves are relatively lightweight, yet extremely strong and durable. They are easy to slot together and assemble which means customers can easily assemble them themselves if need be. If you require members of the Ground Access Hire to do the assembly, this is also an option. They could be used for temporary walkways and temporary car parks within the camp site or in other areas that might be at risk from turning into a mud bath.

Please see our main website for more details.

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.