When it comes to stabilizing temporary fences, sandbags have been used for decades, but are they the best option? And are they the best option of fence weights for rental companies to offer their construction and event organizer clients?
Temporary fencing is rented by companies and individuals for numerous reasons – large outdoor events and construction areas being the top two. Most commonly, temporary fencing serves one of two purposes – crowd control at events or security at construction sites. With the high volume of traffic constantly around the fences, safety is the number one concern to prevent injuries and liability factors.
One major liability that is often overlooked is sandbags. Sandbags are the US standard for stabilizing temporary fencing to support the structure for both short and long periods of time. But, in hindsight, sandbags present a high-risk solution that can be replaced with an alternative solution that is both safer and more efficient.
Temporary Fencing Safety with Sandbags
Temporary fencing is set up millions of times a year by rental companies throughout the U.S. Each set up is equally as important as the last due the safety risk that is involved. When fencing is in place and sandbags are used to stabilize the barriers – trips and falls become a common occurrence. Which is exactly what is trying to be prevented.
Workers / Employees
Construction sites and large events have several employees working inside the fenced area. Having sandbags line the perimeter get in the way of the workers and present workers’ comp risks for the employers as well as liabilities for the rental company.
Pedestrians
Pedestrians walk side-by-side with temporary fencing at events, in walking paths and around construction areas. When sandbags are used, these are directly in the pathway to hundreds and thousands of people. The dangers of tripping and falling are high and creates a hazardous area for pedestrians.
Effectiveness of Sandbags for Temporary Fencing
Aside from temporary fence safety, sandbags are a pain to maintain for rental companies.
● They damage very easily. Rips and tears are nearly unavoidable.
● Sandbags have to be replaced on location if something happens to them. Rental companies have to account for this when scheduling to ensure an employee is available to fix when this happens.
● Their lifespan is short – meaning they have to be replaced often. If temporary fencing is being used for a long-term project, most-likely they will have to be replaced during the project at some point.
● Sandbags are heavy but they aren’t heavy enough where they can’t be easily moved. In high traffic areas, they are often moved out of position resulting in an unstabilized fence.
The Sandbag Appeal
Temporary fencing solutions are seen by numerous people. There is nothing less aesthetically pleasing to the eye than sandbags thrown down to hold fencing in place. This is especially impactful for events where people are focused on the overall look and feel of the location. Sandbags are an eyesore.
Financial Aspects of Sandbags for Temporary Fencing
It is costly to rental companies to have to constantly replace damaged sandbags. Budgeting for this product is often looked as one of those business costs that can’t be avoided. But, in fact it can be.
Think about the revenue that can be generated if there was a durable fence-weight solution solution that hardly ever needed to be replaced. Instead of sandbags being a constant drain on the bottom line, a sturdy fence-weight would be a profit-maker for rental companies.
Fence Weights of the Future
ZND, the global leader in temporary fencing has the ideal alternative to the standard sandbag used for temporary fencing.
ZND, the global leader in temporary fencing has the ideal alternative to the standard sandbag used for temporary fencing
Our Z-weight is specialized fence stand that is designed to use a standard cinder block as the weight rather than utilizing a sandbag that is placed on top of the fence. The cinder blocks can easily be acquired at any construction supply store for a low price and can be used for many years. In addition, our variety of accessories provides several fence stabilization products for high wind areas.
Sandbags may have been the standard for temporary fencing stabilization but Z-weights are the fence wights of the future. Reduce risk, improve efficiency and better your rental product selection with a better temporary fencing solution.
