At Excel Hire we pride ourselves on constantly monitoring and adhering to the highest safety standards. This is especially important given the nature of the work we do – transporting large temporary structures and other equipment, installing and then taking down bumping in and bumping out to tight deadlines. Safety compliance is important both for our own team, so we can avoid accidents and injuries for them, as well as for you and your people managing the event and your guests/customers, to ensure they enjoy your event in safety.
Recent unpredictable weather, both here in Queensland and interstate has highlighted the importance of making sure marquees are adequately fixed to avoid being blown down in windy conditions.
Traditionally marquees have been secured with a combination of pegging and weighting down, however concerns about underground services such as cables and pipes, and ground conditions often not being suitable for adequate pegging, has led to a change in OH&S regulations in favour of using predominantly weighting techniques.
Here are the main mechanisms we use for securing marquees and outdoor structures:
Pegging
This is the traditional method, which includes the use of base plates (Excel does not use rope for pegging marquees). As above, where there are concerns about the ground quality or possible underground services, pegging should not be used.
Weighting
The more commonly used method for securing marquees on hard surfaces or on surfaces that have underground services. There are a variety of weights used, depending on size of marquee and predicted weather conditions, Normally weights are made of concrete. Weights can be unsightly on their own so weight covers are provided, generally in the same fabric as the marquee walls in keeping with the look of the event. If you are unsure please ask the staff when you enquire.
Dynabolting
This method is for where marquees are erected on hard surfaces – on concrete or bitumen. Dynabolting involves drilling into the ground surface and attaching tie-off points. This is ideal where an event is held on a regular basis as you can leave the tie-off bolts in place or cap off the holes and re-use.
