It can be easy to overlook the need for temporary fencing when planning renovation, repair and construction activities.
Yet, temporary fencing plays a vital role in ensuring worker and visitor safety as well as protecting site infrastructure.
To make the requirements for temporary fencing easier to understand and to encourage full compliance, the Standards Australia Committee has created a new Australian Standard: AS 4687.1: 2022 Temporary fencing and hoardings.
Typically, temporary fencing is not intended to be in place for more than a year but it still needs to meet strict requirements.
Failure to meet these requirements can expose you to hefty fines.
Whether you need to safeguard a large civil construction site or meet requirements for fencing off your swimming pool while it undergoes repairs, you should familiarise yourself with this new standard.
One of the advantages of the new standard is that it provides straightforward pathways for ensuring design and testing compliance.
This new standard replaces AS 4687:2007 and has four parts:
- AS 4687.1: Part 1: General requirements.
- AS 4687.2: Part 2: Temporary fencing and temporary pedestrian barriers.
- AS 4687.3: Part 3: Temporary hoardings.
- AS 4687.4: Part 4: Temporary swimming pool fences.
Particular aspects of fence design to note include the fence’s ability to withstand forces imposed during attempts to scale the fence or push it over as well as the impact of wind events.
Protective Fencing knows the value of simple one-size fits all fencing solutions. That’s why we recommend our 60mm diamond Chainwire range for all your temporary fencing requirements.
Chainwire offers all the benefits of rapid installation (and lower cost), exceptional durability and ease of redeployment while meeting or exceeding the requirements of the new standard.
But first, let’s dive a little deeper into the new standard and what it means for you.
STABILITY AND RESISTANCE TO FORCE/ IMPACT
All temporary fencing must be inherently stable.
Your temporary fence design will need to meet specific values of materials weight and mass to ensure it is sufficiently strong and stable.
In other words, will your temporary fence be able to support its own weight as well as the weight of hoardings, gates, shadecloth signage and other permanent forces.
Other forces to note in your design include stability in the face of impact forces, strength of fence connections as well as the fence’s capacity to support climbing actions and resist attempts to prise bars apart.
The new standard defines these parameters for each of the four classes of temporary fencing in terms of the minimum amount of force (measured in kN) that the fence must be able to withstand.
The standard also clarifies whereabouts on the fence you need to assess these forces (top of the fence, centre, at connection points and gate latches etc).
In addition to this the standard accounts for the diagonal pull-down force imposed by someone leaning out from the top of the fence as they attempt to climb it.
RESISTANCE TO WIND
Wind can cause havoc for any kind of temporary fencing and it’s easy to underestimate the resistance your fence will offer and also how nearby structures or topography may affect wind speed.
The AS 4687.1: 2022 Temporary fencing and hoardings standard outlines clear guidelines for designing your temporary fence to allow for local wind conditions at each site.
The calculations used for evaluating wind force are complex and take into account a number of factors including:
- Net wind force
- Air density
- Wind speed
- Aerodynamic factors
- Surface area
Calculations for wind speed use a number of multipliers such as regional gust speeds, terrain/ height, topographical impacts on wind speed and shielding from other structures. The standard provides tables with clearly defined multiplying factors for each aspect.
WHY CHOOSE CHAINWIRE FOR TEMPORARY FENCING
Protective Fencing can supply a complete range of chainwire fencing, steel posts, sleeves, collars, gates, and stay rails.
When installed correctly, these are perfect for all types of temporary fencing including temporary pedestrian, hoardings and swimming pool fences.
Diamond 60 and 50 chainwire comes in a range of sizes including:
- 900mm to 2500mm heights
- 2.5mm or 3.15mm diameter wire
- Standard roll lengths from 5m to 25m
The Galvanised wire used in our chainwire systems meets all relevant standers for Galvanised coatings (AS1650-2.2/AS1725-2.2) ensuring long lasting corrosion resistance.
Further, our chainwire is fast and easy to install saving you time and money. Attaching top and bottom rails to the posts using collars and sleeves provides an inherently strong framework while stay rails can provide additional bracing, particularly at corners and end posts.
If you use top and bottom rails, you can simply attach the chainwire using tie wire or wire clips,
Our chainwire and post systems give you different options for securing your temporary fence to the ground. Our standard and post system allows you to ramp up security with barbed wire and other security toppings if you need to.
Temporary chainwire fencing is fast and wastes less wire products as when it comes time to disassemble the temporary fence can be reused elsewhere.
Permanent type concrete footers may be appropriate in large-scale construction projects where temporary fencing may be in place for a year or more.
Alternatively, you might be able to bolt steel base plates to existing structures such as concrete slabs or buildings. Our posts can also be used with concrete base feet.
We also manufacture and supply matching gates and latches. These allow easy, controllable access while meeting the standard for vertical and horizontal impact strength.
REUSABILITY
Galvanized steel chainwire is one of the best fencing products available for Australia’s tough conditions.
If installed correctly, and stored safely when not in use, chainwire can potentially last for decades. With chainwire, you’ll have temporary fencing that you can reuse in a wide range of settings for many years.
Come and talk to the friendly experts at Protective fencing –we are one of Australia’s leading providers of galvanized steel mesh and wire mesh products.
AUSTRALIA’S MOST TRUSTED FENCING COMPANY
Protective Fencing Australia has been delivering trusted, reliable, innovative security solutions since 1975. That’s why we’re Australia’s most trusted fencing partner.
CONTACT US
Email: sales@profence.com.au
Phone: 1300 436 200