Temporary Fencing – Your Options and Our Recommendations

Temporary fencing has many options – in design as well as deployment. What makes temporary fencing the go-to barrier system for deployment in many situations is the surprising portability and quick, simple installation most temporary systems offer, ensuring safe, efficient deployment even in emergency situations. But what are your options for getting the right temporary fencing range to suit your situation and location?

Temporary Heras fencing

Heras fencing consists of a footer system, plus fence panel. Standard fence panels offer a relatively easy-to-handle weight, allowing efficient set up in emergency or time-precious situations (such as on roadsides, between rush-hours or when preparing construction sites out of working hours).

The range also includes heavy-duty panels, still convenient to handle and install efficiently, but with the added reassurance of a particularly robust structure.

The key design features of both standard and heavy-duty panels include:

• Galvanised steel construction.
• Coupling system which allows full runs to be efficiently installed and removed by professionals, but not by criminals.
• All panels can be stacked when not in use.

And of course, the versatility of these fence panels is extended through the additional options and compatible items available:

• Gates – most boundary and perimeter runs need to incorporate access points, so the Heras range includes pedestrian and vehicle gates, allowing access to be gained when needed. These access points can be secured as required. Gates are fully compatible with the complete range of HERAS fencing and hoarding.
• Acoustic and netting panels – for minimising the transfer of noise and debris, these are a particularly useful option for busy construction sites, especially during demolition and excavation phases of work.
• Anti-climb panels – weighing 13.8 kg each, these panels specifically deter against opportunist access and are ideal for festival and outdoor event perimeters.
• Heavy duty anti-climb panels – weighing 15.9 kg each, the heavy duty version of the anti-climb panels offer a more robust construction than standard panels. Additionally, the mesh panel incorporates a Smartweld anti-climb design for increased security against trespass and vandalism.
• Heavy Duty round top anti-climb fencing panels – weighing in at 16 kg each another heavy duty panel with the added benefit of full ‘three side’ frame with no welding, for a highly robust construction, ideal for long-term and extreme weather use. These heavier panels are still easy to handle for rapid deployment by experienced handlers.

Across this whole range of extensive options, these panels are easy to customise and emphasise, through the addition of compatible high visibility signage and banners.

Our recommendations for use

This isn’t an exhaustive list, but from our many years of expertise it’s safe to say we particularly recommend Heras temporary fencing for:

• Site and perimeter security – for all types of premises including private property and land.
• Construction sites – particularly where deliveries and construction vehicles need to gain access but trespassers, vandals, criminals and the public need to be kept out.
• Transfer, hazard and distraction control – where the transfer of noise and debris into the wider areas (eg: public highway next to construction site) needs to be contained, netting and acoustic hoardings add to the fit-for-purpose options of the range.
• Areas vulnerable to extreme weather – the galvanised steel construction and heavy-duty options mean plenty of protection in high-wind and extreme weather areas.
• Crowd and access control – with anti-climb panels being available in both standard and heavy-duty options, and a range of footing types ensuring anti-trip security, the Heras range offers the solution for most crowd and access control situations, including security for vacant plots, properties, and commercial premises.
• Restricted access – the access control options of these panels can be enhanced with the addition of a selection of further anti-climb devices, all compatible and convenient to add along the top of fence panels.

Temporary steel hoarding

The security offered by temporary fencing moves to the next level with solid steel hoarding, as deploying SafeSite Stronghoard results in a solid wall of steel without gaps, completely prohibiting view of the site, for total privacy and assured security. Triangular bracing across joints provides additional anti-vandal durability.

Temporary steel hoarding provides both enhanced peace of mind and options for deployment when it comes to all-weather protection and security. Not only providing complete privacy, solid steel hoardings also provide a balance between risk minimisation for security, alongside flexibility and ease in deployment, as no digging or excavations are required for installation.

The solid steel hoarding system includes fully compatible gate options to allow or restrict vehicular and pedestrian access.

Recommendations for use

We’d recommend solid steel hoardings for site and perimeter security where additional privacy or protection is needed, for instance to:

• Shield and protect – on both sides of the barrier;
• Restrict view of the site – from the public or opportunistic criminals looking out for plant, vehicles, metals, and equipment;
• Provide a secure barrier when environmental factors mean that digging is not possible – ground-breaking security without needing to break the ground!

MASS barriers with panels

MASS barriers have to be one of the most versatile temporary fencing systems around, with plenty of options for use. What really makes the system stand out from others is it’s crash tested design which offers optimum roadside protection to users on both sides of the barrier.

This innovative ‘roll-on-roll-off’ design means that the force of impact from any errant vehicle actually increases the stability of the barrier, returning the vehicle away from the barrier in a way which minimises impact injury potential for both the driver and users on the far side of the barrier.

The tamper-resistant linkage for the system and anti-vandalism design of the barrier bases and full compatibility with anti-climb fences makes the system a desirable choice for keeping undesirables out of sites, events and properties.

Despite the stability of this barrier, there’s no need to drill or core when it comes to installation. Barrier runs can be quickly installed for maximum efficiency and security, even on a temporary basis.

Recommendations for use

We particularly recommend MASS barrier system for:

• Highways and roadside sites.
• Vehicle and pedestrian separation for street works and construction site safety.

Water-filled barriers with panels

For particularly robust use and a range of deployment options, barrier runs created with the GB2 Heavy Duty Barrier system are increasingly popular and offer plenty of provision.

With an empty weight of 36 kg, barrier bases are exceptionally easy to install. Once filled, they provide a formidable 400 kg of weight, for tough resilience across a range of situations, such as:

• Construction site management.
• Traffic and highways management.
• High wind environments, as these barriers are fully MIRA tested.

The heavy-duty properties of the system extend to the range of mesh and hoarding panels, vehicle and pedestrian gates which are fully compatible with the system and allow plenty of options for full barrier runs with complete access control.

Recommendations for use

Whilst this system is highly flexible across a range of situations and environments, with their highly durable design properties, extra stability when filled and range of high visibility colours, we particularly recommend the GB2 system for:

• Highway and vehicular route deployment, delineation, and control – including road races and temporary car parks.
• Construction sites.
• Outdoor events – including crowd flow control and pedestrian and vehicle separation.
• High wind areas.
• Hard to access locations – where a lighter empty weight is required for transfer and deployment, but heavy-weight stability is needed in situ.

Finally, your options for using any of these temporary fencing systems include two different ways to get them to your site – with hire or purchase possible, complete with delivery and installation anywhere across the UK. So, if you want to try-before-you-buy by initially hiring your temporary fencing to help you decide which one best fits your situation, that’s something we’d also recommend.