How to prevent floods on construction sites

The spring months are one of the wettest times of year, and with the increase in daylight hours, more construction sites will be seeing more activity too.

When there’s a downpour at any time of year, a flood is a risk. But in spring, with the groundwater level already high from winter, construction site flood risks are even greater.

After a flood, it’s not just a case of waiting for the water to dry up and then getting back to work. Floodwater can be contaminated by pest droppings, especially if it’s come up from the sewers, among other things and clean-up can be costly and time-consuming.

Here’s our guide to preventing floods on construction sites, and how to recover from a construction site flood when one occurs.

Less mud, less flood

One way to proactively prevent construction site floods is to use ground protection mats from the start of your project, to stop heavy machinery and vehicles from breaking up the ground surface.

When it rains, any broken-up loose soil can quickly turn to mud, as well as washing into drains and blocking grates, all of which leaves the rainwater with nowhere to go – and that’s when you get a flood.

If you’re working on a site where debris is inevitable, consider putting a bog mat over any exposed drains on dry days so they don’t get blocked – just remember to uncover the drain in wet weather so the excess water can escape.

After a downpour

If heavy rain has left your construction site flooded, have some timber mats ready to create dry, safe working platforms – there’s a reason why we call them bog mats.

Hardwood timber mats can cope well in direct contact with waterlogged ground, and can even be used in tidal areas and marshland, so even a deep puddle shouldn’t be a problem for them.

In deeper floodwater, stack timber mats in alternating alignment (similar to the criss-cross of rails and sleepers on a railway) to lift them above the water level so clean-up or construction work can continue.

We have timber mats for sale and to hire, so if you’re facing an unpleasant weather forecast at any point, get your order in ahead of time to avoid any delays to your delivery date.