Worksites are messy places. Those messes can lead to accidents. Slip and falls and equipment problems due to slick runways all lead to accidents. Workers in the construction industry and in oil fields, lumber, mining, and similar work environments are all at risk. These are dangerous jobs and access matting was developed to make their job sites as safe as possible.
Access matting was developed to provide temporary roads for equipment so that slippage and sinking are minimal. These situations make environments far more dangerous for humans in the vicinity. Oil rig sites can become slick and dangerous. When people fall, they can be in a precarious situation, surrounded by heaving machinery that also may have little traction. These are frightening situations and for businesses, they cost money in downtime and in accidents. Human lives are lost each day in one of these industries. Access matting reduces that number and reduces the risk factors and liability for businesses in these industries.
Matting Materials
Depending on the situation, access mats can be made from virtually any material, even bamboo. They may be placed as temporary roadways that lead far into trees and allow heavy equipment to reach a mine and when the site is moved, no longer viable, or closed for any reason, the roadway can be removed and eventually there is no sign that a work crew had ever been there.
When it comes to a job site like an oil rig, the matting is made of absorbent, slick resistant materials that offer traction for machinery and people moving around on platforms. Oil resistant coatings, combined with the proper clothing and shoes required per OSHA safety standards, can help reduce the number of accidents for a company. It will also increase productivity when a crew is able to be sure-footed and move freely.
Some jobs require matting through regulation. Some union contracts state that matting will be used on job sites. In the end, it is good for worker safety and it reduces the liability for companies by reducing the number of overall accidents. This leads to lower premiums for insurance.
For large companies, this can be huge sums of money. Worker’s compensation and lease liability insurance are all considerations that can add up to millions per year for large companies to have premiums on each job site they currently operate. Each worksite location will likely have to have its own insurance.
Matting can lower insurance and reduce the number of job site injuries that happen each year. This improves morale as well. When workers are safe, they are happier on the job, which leads to better productivity as well. As a business, something as simple as having access matting on each job you do can increase money on your bottom line, retain employees for longer — saving a ton of money in hiring and training — and ensure that you are compliant with regulations for industries that need to use the matting. Leasing the matting is often the way most companies choose to go. It can be shipped to anywhere in the world, with enough notice to have it at the location to be set-up before machinery is scheduled to arrive.