“BOG MATS”: what they are and when they are used
Firstly, what is a bog?
A bog is a type of freshwater environment with nutrient-poor, non-draining or poorly draining soils with an acidic ph. Their soils are usually peaty, spongy, and the water is obtained purely from precipitation rather than fed by groundwater or another water source, making them ombrotrophic
Bogs are found all across the world in different climates, but they are most common in temperate areas with high rainfall. They are an important ecosystem for many plant and animal species, and they also play a role in the global carbon cycle.
Thus, is it possible to work on such a terrain like that?
Bog mats are an essential piece of equipment for anyone working in a boggy or marshy area. They provide a stable, dry surface on which to work, preventing employees from sinking into the bog and becoming stuck. They also help to protect the ground from being damaged by heavy equipment.
In addition, they can be used to create a temporary path through a boggy area, allowing construction workers to access a site without damaging sensitive wetland habitat.
Bog mats are an essential tool for anyone working in a boggy environment, and they can help to protect both workers and the natural environment.
So, if you are working on a construction site that has these characteristics and you need bog mats, you need to visit GJ Bog Mats website. They are the UK’s leading specialist supplier of high-quality bog mats for sale or hire in Wales and the UK. Their range of mats come in different sizes for bigger vehicles like trucks and smaller ones like cars.
More precisely: what are BOG MATS?
Bog mats are often known with various types of names, such as:
- timber mats
- wooden bog mats
- ekki bog mats or ekki mats
- ground protection mats or ground surface mats.
Bog mats tend to be made out of plastic or wood, but most of the time they are made of wood. There are different types of wood because each one of them has different strengths and weaknesses. So, the bog mats should be chosen based on the specific project that has to be done.
In addition, bog mats come in a range of different sizes and thicknesses. The standard size goes between 3m or 3m in length and 1m in width. But, the most important metric is the thickness of the bog mats because it affects how much load they can bear. The range goes from 70mm thick up to the thickest one of 200 and 250mm thick.
Timber bog mats
The timber bog mats are the oldest one, because they have been used since the 1800s and are still popular in the market. This kind of mats was chosen as it was and it is stronger than many other materials such as steel sheets and brick, sand brans and hemp rope. Today, timber bog mats are made from tropical hardwood or European hardwood, because they need to come from hard wearing materials.
How are BOG MATS used?
In the construction industry building in a wet, muddy, slippery, soft ground conditions, such as mud-filled gullies or swampy areas, is an ever-present reality. This is why bog mats turn out to be useful.
They are commonly used for allowing heavy construction equipment, machinery and vehicles to cross these muddy areas without sinking into them.
Moreover, they can stop vehicles and help people who work on-site from slipping on wet or muddy slopes.
As well as this, bog mats create stable surface for temporary structure that comes in handy when there is a heavy machinery at work in some outdoor events or festivals.
In addition, they construct temporary roadway to conduct an event or a project which requires access to hard-to-reach areas.
Therefore, bog mats allow companies to avoid damaging the natural environment, because an area with weak terrain suffer destruction as a result of human activities, so companies should minimise this negative impact by using the temporary bog mats services.
Why BOG MATS are important in construction sites?
Bog mats are considered as indispensable tools of the construction trade due to these main reasons:
Safety of construction workers and visitors
They offer safety and health advantages, like the fact that they come in different colour coding options useful to identify walkways for construction workers and visitors. By doing so, they allow visitors and workers to move around the site in a safely way.
Preventing spillage and damage to the site
Bog mats create temporary access roads for vehicle in order to give them the possibility to move in and out of construction sites with ease and most of all by avoiding spillage of hazardous chemicals.
Environmental protection
Nowadays, it is compulsory for construction companies to acquire environmental licenses from environmental protection agencies before starting to work. Since, this topic has become a critical issue, companies are using bog mats in order to limit ecological disturbance and to offer a lease of life to the plant and animal life in the surrounding areas.
Cost effectiveness
Thanks to bog mats companies save invaluable times and dollars and eliminate the risk of a lot of accidents that will lead to additional costs.
Who are BOG MATS used by?
Bog mats are mostly used in tidal areas where the ground surface is constantly shifting, in waterlogged ground like river estuaries, wetlands and swamps to improve stability and in land with low particle density or subsidence issues to prevent sinking.
This is why they are used by a wide variety of businesses, including housebuilders, civil engineers, pipeline construction and maintenance companies and wind farm constructors.
Consequently, if you happen to be in one of these categories and you would like to help your co-workers, avoid environmental damages and take care of your construction equipment, this is the right service for you.
