Engineered composite ground protection products can help workers enhance efficiency, safety, and sustainability.
Ground protection products are essential tools for utility crews and utility contractors seeking to optimize project efficiency, promote environmental sustainability, and improve safety on work sites. Utility crews regularly operate bucket trucks, digger derricks, wheeled or tracked loaders, and other small to medium sized equipment along rights of way and areas that are difficult to access. Often getting to the right-of-way requires operating equipment through private property.
In those cases, it’s desirable to cause as little damage to the ground as possible. In other situations, it may be necessary to create an access road or use ground protection mats to create access and travel routes for aerial devices and other trucks. Ground protection mats and temporary roadway products offer a range of benefits that contribute to cost savings, streamlined operations, and enhanced worker protection.
Benefits of Ground Protection
When the ground is soft, equipment can get stuck, which causes delays and leaves homeowners, businesses, or others frustrated with the additional lawn and landscape damage. In some cases, additional resources, such as cranes or specialized equipment, are needed to extract stuck equipment.
Ground protection products like temporary roadways, mats, or grids can provide a ridged surface that makes it easier and faster for equipment to access the work area.
This extra step can improve operations and prevent delays.
Ground protection mats are used primarily to safeguard terrain from damage caused by heavy machinery and equipment. They distribute the weight of the equipment and prevent soil compaction, rutting, and other forms of ground disturbance.
One utility installing distribution lines through wetlands used ground protection mats to reduce damage to the environmentally sensitive area and protect the equipment being used. In similar situations, the controlling entity may require the use of ground protection products.
Temporary roadways are designed to provide a stable and reliable surface for vehicles and equipment to travel on in challenging terrain. They serve as temporary access routes, enabling vehicles to reach work sites in areas where site access is limited.
When you consider storm response, time is of the essence for utility crews to restore power.
Ground protection products like temporary roadways or mats can be used to provide a level surface that makes it easier and faster for equipment to access the work area by preventing equipment from getting stuck.
Temporary roadways can also minimize the risk of slips, trips, and falls. They can be used to create clear pathways in designated areas, helping to prevent accidents and injuries caused by uncontrolled movement of personnel or machinery.
When underground utility work takes place below residential sidewalks, the sidewalks have to be closed. In these high-traffic areas, deploying ground protection products can enhance safety for crew members and pedestrians by providing them with a clearly marked route around the work zone, keeping them from stepping into traffic.
In addition to their functional benefits, ground protection mats and temporary roadways align with the growing emphasis on environmental sustainability in the utility industry.
These products are typically made from recycled materials, such as high-density polyethylene (HDPE) or synthetic materials, which help reduce waste and resource consumption.
By incorporating ground protection products made from recycled materials, contractors demonstrate their commitment to sustainable practices.
What to Consider
When selecting ground protection mats or a temporary roadway, it is important to consider various factors such as the weight and type of equipment, ground conditions, duration of use, any specific environmental considerations, and the type of coverage needed. Types of coverage can include roadways to ingress and egress or larger coverage areas that are used to operate from or as a laydown or staging area.
Conducting a site survey in advance of crews helps to ensure that the best suited ground protection products are selected. A survey should include an evaluation of the terrain and ground conditions and identifies the best equipment access locations for the work.
Consulting with suppliers can help determine the most suitable options for each project.
Products come in a variety of materials, sizes, and thicknesses, so the strength, stiffness and load capacity will vary. Some products interlock, while others don’t. Many require manual deployment. Some products feature tread patterns to improve grip for equipment.
SlatTrax is a unique linear roadway and ground protection system.
The DIY product can be set up in 15 minutes or less. The single or double spool hydraulically powered systems mount easily on skid steers and similar equipment. This unique system virtually eliminates manual labor and reduces the number of crew members needed to prepare a site.
The spools are loaded with 100' of Trax and can be reloaded with additional sections that connect to create stable service roadways quickly. The Trax comes in rolls for simple, fast, and easy deployment and retrieval. In addition, the compact, self-contained systems require less space for transporting and storing.
Made of recycled HDPE, the plastic temporary roadway is highly resistant to damage from compression loads.
Ground protection mats, such as AlturnaMATS and VersaMATS are lightweight modular panel systems that can be connected.
They are made of HDPE plastics that are very durable and resistant to breaking, cracking, splintering, and absorbing moisture or liquids.
These mats can be used to create stable work platforms, access roads, or temporary parking areas in construction sites. The interlocking design ensures stability and versatility, allowing for easy customization and adaptation to different project requirements.
In some cases, heavy-duty ground protection and access matting is required to get the job done.
In those cases, products such as TuffTrack XL, MegaDeck, Dura-Base, and System 7 composite matting may be ideal. Those composite ground-protection mats are made for the heaviest equipment and worst conditions.
TuffTrack XL mats are a solid mat that conforms to the terrain. They are 2" thick and can support 150 tons of wheeled or tracked equipment.
MegaDeck, Dura-Base, and System 7 mats provide stable, non-shifting work platforms or access roads.
In many cases, a combination of ground protection products may be the most effective approach, especially when linear and area coverage is needed, as there is rarely a one-size-fits-all solution.
The selection of appropriate tools depends on the specific needs of each project, and contractors should carefully evaluate the options available to determine the optimal combination for their circumstances.
By incorporating ground protection products into construction projects, utilities and utility contractors can reduce costs and improve efficiency by minimizing the need for repairs to the ground and reducing delays caused by stuck vehicles.
The use of ground protection products aligns with sustainability objectives, promoting environmental conservation and minimizing the ecological impact of work activities.
Lift & Access is part of the Catalyst Communications Network publication family.
