In this article, we will address the functions and requirements of the signage enclosure on a construction site. Likewise, from a technical standpoint, we will clarify some of the doubts regarding the correct use of a very common auxiliary element: the pedestrian barrier, or “town hall” type barrier. To this day, its use still raises many questions.
Temporary demarcation and protection installations
Temporary demarcation and protection installations on a construction site are all those whose purpose is to sign and separate a risk area, such as a worksite, from the surrounding environment. They serve the same purpose within the site as well. Within this type of temporary installations, we find site fencing, pedestrian and vehicle access areas, protective canopies, etc.
Site fencing is a form of signage that delineates a construction site. It should therefore be considered from three perspectives:
- First, as an element that provides signage and separates an industrial or productive activity in a “hostile” environment, or at least one that is not part of it, and therefore subject to workplace safety regulations.
- Second, as an element that defines the occupation of public roads, and therefore subject to the municipal regulations governing their use.
- And finally, as a temporary structural element, erected under conditions not necessarily contemplated in the manufacturer’s conditions of use, whose stability must be guaranteed.
Enclosure requirements
The basic conditions that the site’s perimeter enclosure must meet are set out in Royal Decree 1627/97 (Annex IV, PART C “Specific minimum provisions relating to workplaces on construction sites outside premises”) and the relevant Municipal Ordinance of the place where it is located.
The Municipal Ordinances or Subsidiary Planning Regulations in most towns and cities establish the requirement for site perimeter enclosures to be at least 2 meters high.
When loads are moved near the site perimeter, or when the risk of projecting particles or dust clouds outward is high due to the proximity of the work carried out inside the site to its perimeter, the enclosure is required to be opaque.
Perimeter and signage enclosures are temporary and intended for reuse on future projects. For this reason, their design and assembly must be oriented towards modularity, low weight and ease of handling, a perfect fit between components to ensure stability and effective closure, durability outdoors and under intensive use, and ensuring they do not, in si themselves, create greater risks than those they are intended to prevent.
Difference between general perimeter enclosure and signage enclosure
Another important point to consider is the distinction between the general perimeter enclosure that delineates the activity within the site and the signage enclosure. The former’s purpose is protection. The signage enclosure is intended to inform, warn, and mark a work area that may pose a potential risk to workers (or people not involved in the works) passing near that space.
As a common solution for the protective enclosure that delineates the perimeter of a temporary workplace, such as a construction site, there are various temporary fencing solutions available on the market. As a common solution for the signage enclosure of a work area with potential risk(s) on a construction site, the “town hall” type barrier is used, with characteristics that differ from temporary site fencing.
Occupation of public roads with fencing
When, due to strict space requirements on the site we are undertaking, we need to expand our temporary workplace, it is common to try to take over a public space and incorporate it as part of the site area. This is known as occupation of public roads.
The occupation of public roads is regulated in all municipalities, either through their ordinances (in Madrid, by the Ordinance Regulating Signage and Temporary Barriers for the Occupation of Public Roads for Works and Activities) or through their subsidiary regulations. Therefore, it will always be mandatory to identify the conditions each municipality imposes in its regulations for such occupation. It is compulsory to apply for the relevant public-road occupation permit, in due time and form, and to pay the initial fee for that permit and the final amount once granted. The application for a public-road occupation permit is submitted by the main contractor for the project, who assumes its cost.
Requirements for occupying public roads
The guidelines we will typically be given are:
- The site fencing may not be embedded into the sidewalk pavement or the roadway, unless we are permitted to do so and we state in writing to the municipality, at the time of applying for the occupation permit, our commitment to reinstate it once the works are completed, and such reinstatement is feasible because the same type of paving as the existing one is available.
- The length limit of roadway we may occupy is strictly the length between the boundaries of our plot.
- The width limit will depend on the dimensions of the public road we intend to occupy. As a general rule, where there are no greater dimensional restrictions, we will be allowed to occupy 3.00 m in width provided that at least 1.00 m of clear passage remains for pedestrians on the sidewalk. Any variation to this condition must be discussed with the Town Council’s Technical Office responsible for authorising the occupation.
- If we are allowed to occupy the public road in such a way that pedestrians can no longer walk normally along the sidewalk, the project’s main contractor will be required to prepare and maintain a pedestrian passage throughout the entire occupation period, meeting certain conditions.
- If any public installation or street furniture is affected by our occupation, the main contractor must bear the cost of relocating it and subsequently reinstating it (bus shelter, bollard, litter bin, street light, etc.). We cannot alter the location of street furniture or public installations; the changes must be carried out by the owning companies or the town council, so this must be planned in advance and the relocation requested as early as possible, given the time it may take to carry out.
Each municipality’s regulations determine the documentation that must be submitted and the cost of applying to occupy public roads. In all cases, a descriptive report is requested in which the type of fencing to be installed must be clearly defined: model, material, dimensions, anchoring system to ensure stability, commitment to repair any damage, etc. In addition, what is most noteworthy is the requirement to certify, in a report prepared by a competent technician (a technician hired by the contractor), the safety and stability of the installed system.
This entails the need to check how the fencing behaves under wind loads, which (under normal circumstances) will be the greatest action the fenced surface must withstand. In this regard, it should be borne in mind that the manufacturer does NOT certify the system’s stability against wind actions, because this depends directly on the installation method used on site, not on the manufacturing system. Therefore, something that must be questioned and not taken for granted is that all fencing fixing and anchoring systems guarantee wind stability.
Royal Decree 1627/97 requires that all site elements have a guarantee of stability or, failing that, that access to or presence near them is not allowed. However, this second option is not feasible for perimeter site fencing, so we must necessarily guarantee its stability.
To ensure a safe construction site that complies with all current regulations on demarcation and site fencing, contact qualified Health and Safety Coordinators. GespreObra has extensive experience in coordinating health and safety for large-scale projects in urban environments. You can contact us here.
