Ground protection mats (sometimes also referred to as ‘ground guards’, ‘track mats’ or ‘bog mats’) are essential to creating safe site access for pedestrians, machinery and vehicles during construction or civil engineering projects.
They can help you prevent damage to the ground underneath and also provide stable and safe access routes during times of the year where wet weather conditions might otherwise cause the ground to become boggy, leaving sites inaccessible.
With so many different types of ground matting available, it can sometimes be difficult to understand whether you need a heavy duty, medium duty or lightweight solution.If you are looking for some advice about what type of external ground protection you need, read on to discover more!
Consider the type of ground you are protecting
When deciding on a matting solution, it is always important to consider the condition of the ground area you are trying to protect. Natural surfaces such as grass or earth can often be affected by rain or other water sources that can cause them to soften over time. Generally, the softer the ground condition, the heavier the protection solution you will want, as they are less likely to sink into the ground and move around.
However, to decide what the best solution is for your needs, you also need to consider what type of traffic will be going over the mat and what the weight bearing capacity needs to be.
In the sections below we cover what types of traffic constitute lightweight, medium or heavy duty.
Light Duty Ground Protection
When we talk about light duty ground matting products, we generally mean ground protection products that are suitable for pedestrian or light machinery and vehicle traffic. Light duty matting is only suitable for use on firm, dry ground and is often used in city locations to create access routes for pedestrians where roadworks or other temporary construction or civils projects might be taking place.
These mats frequently don’t require any connectors and can be easily slotted together by one or two people to create a fast ground protection solution.
Suitable mats from Sitepro Direct include our PROGUARD® Interlocking Floor Mats and our PROGUARD® Safe Site Matting.
Medium Duty Ground Protection
Medium duty ground mats can often handle up to 10 tonnes on stable, firm ground, making them a popular option for sites where lightweight vehicles (such as forklifts or pick up trucks) are constantly in use.
These mats are connected to each other and the ground to avoid slipping or movement when traffic is going over them.
For sites that need both pedestrian and vehicular access on an ongoing basis, we recommend a medium-duty solution to ensure safe, reliable access throughout the duration of your project.
Our most popular medium-duty site access solution is our Premium Ground Protection Mat.
It should be noted that if your site is extremely boggy and you need vehicle access, we recommend option for a heavy duty solution.
Heavy Duty Ground Protection
If you have a site that is both boggy and that requires frequent and prolonged vehicle and machinery access, we recommend a heavy-duty solution.
These mats can handle up to 80 tonnes on firm ground, slightly less on boggy surfaces.
If you are looking for a heavy-duty solution that will provide you with ongoing, reliable protection and access on dry and slightly wet ground, our PROGUARD® Heavy Duty Access Mat is a good choice.
If your site is boggy and/or needs to allow very heavy vehicles and machinery, we recommend our extra heavy duty PROGUARD® Trackway Mat or timber bog mats.
Have any questions or need to know more?
We know it can be confusing to try and figure out exactly which type of mat you need and how many will be enough.If you would like to talk to our experts about which option is best, please get in touch to let us know about your project and requirements.
Email us on sales@siteprodirect.co.uk or give us a call on 0800 999 2429.
