As winter approaches, safety challenges on construction sites multiply. Without proper precautions, wind, rain, snow, and ice can conspire to make job sites slippery, cold, and miserable. The added danger of working on elevated platforms and scaffolding only increases the danger. Of course, New England contractors and their workers know how to prepare for raw conditions, and that includes providing protection from the weather for the steel erectors, glaziers, bricklayers, carpenters, painters, and others who work on scaffolds. OSHA estimates that nearly two-thirds of America’s construction workers – some 2.3 million people – ply their trades while standing on scaffolding.
Scaffold Sheeting & Construction Tarps Save the Day
Scaffold sheeting and construction tarps provide an easy, inexpensive, and efficient way to shield scaffold workers from the elements and the public from construction-related nuisances. Generally constructed of polyethylene sheets bonded to a string reinforcing scrim, scaffold sheeting is stretched around the scaffolding and attached through reinforced eyelets or grommets with rope or plastic bands. The sheets serve as a windbreak and when layered like shingles with upper tiers overlapping lapping lower sheets, channel rain away from workers and the scaffold platform. Rugged, reusable, watertight, warm, and translucent to allow workers to toil by natural light, scaffold sheeting provides three major benefits:
- Worker Safety – High winds, cold temperatures, precipitation, and other weather phenomena increase the potential for slips, stumbles, and falls. Often working at heights of 20 feet or more, scaffold workers are especially susceptible to these dangers. In addition, sheeting provides a highly visible marker indicating the platform’s edge and serves as a bulwark against external distractions.
- Workflow Optimization – Shelter from the elements creates a more pleasant workspace and a more productive crew. Warm, dry, comfortable craftspeople work more quickly and more efficiently, with fewer interruptions. Added warmth not only helps hands, feet, and fingers move swiftly, but also improves power tools’ performance and makes paint, metal, glass, and other materials easier to install and apply. Sheeting also limits delays in construction activities caused by high winds or freezing conditions. Projects get completed on time, increasing the company’s profits and bolstering its reputation.
- Environmental Protection – Scaffold workers are not the only ones who should be shielded from construction site hazards. Construction tarps contain noise, dust, and debris generated by construction activities performed on the scaffold, shielding passersby and neighboring businesses from these disruptions. The tight-fitting sheeting may also intercept dropped fasteners, hand tools, and other small items before they can fall off the platform and injure someone and reducing housekeeping duties at the end of the day and project.
All Your Sheeting and Tarp Needs Covered
Construction tarps come in several thicknesses and with a variety of features. The Pro Group features a full line of construction sheeting to fit any job site and weather condition, including water- and fire-resistant and wind-rated models. Flame-retardant tarps can enclose workers with forced-air heaters for even greater comfort and work session duration. The Pro Group carries a variety of quality scaffold sheeting, including:
- Monarflex – Combining low-density polyethylene sheets with quick-install grommeted eyelets and polyester yarn scrim, Monarflex sheeting is available in two thicknesses to accommodate low or high winds. Monarflex Super T Plus is available in widths of 7-foot, 4-inches and 13 feet. Designed to be installed either horizontally or vertically, the product is best for long-term renovation projects and can remain in place for more than a year. Shorter-term and lighter-duty projects are best for Monarflex Scaffband. Its lighter weight makes sheet rolls easier to carry, handle, and install. Either is available with a flame-retardant additive.
- Eagle Industries – Eagle’s Scaf-Lite scaffold sheeting is easy to install. Push the bungee through a reinforce eyelet; pull the hook end back and wrap it securely around a scaffold pole; attach the hook to the bungee. Available in 6-, 8-, 12-, and 20-mil thicknesses, Scaf-Lite. It comes in 100-foot roles in widths from 7-foot, 4-inches to 20 feet. Reinforced eyelet bands, with holes every four inches, and string-reinforced sheeting resist tearing. Eagle also makes white flame-retardant sheeting.
The best product for your project depends on its length and schedule, season and weather conditions, whether the job includes demolition, welding, historic renovation, or other sensitive work, and the site location and geography. Our experienced experts will walk you through these variables and help you decide which scaffold sheeting brand and material thickness will work best on your site. Contact us today for advice on scaffolding sheeting and tarps as well as all your other winter construction needs.
