“Our teams are highly skilled in fencing installation and vegetation clearance – a combination that provides the client with an efficient and cost-effective solution from a single-source supplier.”
Graham Talbot, Head of Arboriculture
Services Delivered
RSS Infrastructure erected 7,000 metres of stock fencing, removing 153 trees and clearing 11,120 metres of hedgerow for a Tier One contractor.
Key Actions
- Installation of stock fencing
- Vegetation clearance
- Working under Licence and Ecological constraints
Project Delivery
As part of our project brief, we removed trees and hedgerows and erected permanent stock fencing to replace the natural barrier that needed to be removed. Our aim was to ensure that all cleared areas remained secure.
To understand the scope of work, we conducted an initial site walkout that focused on safe areas of access, ecological restraints, hazards and risks, and the extent of vegetation that needed to be removed. We worked in conjunction with the clients’ Wayleave Warden/Agent by liaising with landowners to ensure that all access required had permission and was agreed in writing before the works’ commencement.
As part of our delivery programme, RSS Infrastructure conducted a team briefing before the start of each shift to inform all parties of the daily objectives, the type of work to be done, and its location. Following this, the teams received a site-specific brief that provided supervisors with an overview of any known ecological constraints, access issues, site hazards and risks. The briefing also confirmed the method of delivery and a safe system of work that the Arboriculture team would be operating under.
Our team consisted of a Works Delivery Manager, 2 Site Supervisors, and 2 multi-skilled Arborist and Fencing Installer Teams.
These teams held, as a minimum, City and Guilds NPTC training to Level 2 Award in Aerial Tree Pruning and Site Diploma in Work-Based Fencing – General Fencing.
Furthermore, the Works Delivery Manager held ‘Management Safety Training Scheme’ (SMSTS) and the Site Supervisors had attained ‘Site Supervisors Safety Training Scheme’ (SSSTS), and the Forestry Machine Operator held ‘Construction Plan Competence Scheme’ (CPCS). Each employee also held ‘Good Neighbour Behaviour Training’ as this project required employees to interface with members of the public.
Following vegetation clearance, it was important to maintain the integrity of the existing natural boundaries. To achieve this, our Arborist and Fencing teams deployed temporary ‘Netlon’ type fencing while the permanent solution of stock fencing was installed. The team cleared a maximum of 24-metre sections before erecting the fencing to ensure the boundaries remained secure. Additionally, a team member ensured that the public used the ‘safe walking route’ and that there was no encroachment onto the infrastructure. For sections that required interfacing with the adjacent highway, RSSI liaised with the local authority to ensure sufficient time was available to schedule and deploy traffic management to ensure public safety.
To keep the client updated on progress and the quality of work, we used an in-house app that provided the client with daily shift reports. These reports were reviewed by the client and signed off. The daily shift reports included information on hedgerow and tree group numbers, percentage of completion, and any issues on-site. The client benefited from a team that was multi-skilled in both the delivery of fencing and vegetation clearance. This combination provided the client with an efficient and cost-effective solution by engaging with a single-source supplier.
