Brickguards 101: What They Are and Why Every Site Needs Them

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) reported that 135 construction workers were killed on their worksites in 2022-2023. Every construction site manager has a duty of care to keep their team out of harm’s reach. Designed to prevent the risk of objects falling off of scaffolding platforms, brickguards are the perfect solution to preventing your workers from becoming another statistic of workplace fatalities.

Brick guards are safety barriers that can be attached to the scaffolding handrails to catch debris, tools, and materials that could otherwise pose a danger to colleagues and passersby if they were to fall on them. Aside from this, there are many other reasons why brick guards are an essential feature of a construction site, including:

• Preventing lawsuits: It is mandatory for building sites in the UK to use protective measures to prevent the safety of anyone on or near it from being jeopardised. Brick guards ensure compliance with health and safety legislation to reduce the likelihood of accidents from occurring and resulting in a lawsuit.
• Promoting productivity: Preventable accidents can cause delays while investigations are carried out and can negatively affect shareholder and public opinion. If shareholders lose money or profit from a delay, they could become disgruntled. The same applies if the project goes on longer than necessary and causes further inconvenience to locals or businesses in the area. By installing brick guards, construction workers can ensure complete focus is on the task at hand without worrying about losing their tools and causing hazards.
• Adding extra protection during adverse weather conditions: Strong winds can cause mayhem if tools and debris are flying around. Brick guards reduce the chances of this happening.

What to Look for When Choosing Brick Guards

It is important to consider several factors to ensure that brick guards provide adequate protection for those on and around the building site, including:

• The durability of materials: The brick guards should be able to withstand the weight of the construction workers, bricks, and other materials, as well as strong winds and other poor weather conditions. Our guards are made from recycled plastics and are designed to be more robust than standard barriers. They have a long lifecycle and comply with industry standards.
• How easy they are to handle: Brick guards need to be sturdy but lightweight at the same time so they can be easily fitted and repositioned. The BrikGard is designed to be stable and secure as well as easy to carry and stack.
• If they meet industry safety standards: Brick guards should have features including locking mechanisms and stabilising brackets to prevent them from becoming unsecured from the scaffolding railings. The BrikGard meets the requirements of the National Access and Scaffolding Confederation and offers safety features that cannot be matched by more traditional brick guard designs.
• How visible they are in dark and low-visibility conditions: The BrikGard is available in a range of colours, including blue, red, yellow, orange, black, and white. Coloured brick guards help to increase visibility and prevent accidental collisions whilst working at height.

Construction sites are notoriously dangerous places to work on and be around. Brickguards are highly effective in protecting workers and members of the public from harm.

Ask us for more information about the BrikGard and join us in creating safer construction sites for everyone!