If you’re an experienced project manager, you know that a little upfront planning (and spending) can help keep your budget under control. You can’t be prepared for every eventuality, but the choices you make early in the planning process can impact both the costs and the timeline.
Incorporating timber mats into your planning process is one way to keep your budget in check because they support savings in multiple areas.
Protect Your People
Cost savings may not be the primary motivation for maintaining a safe work environment, but it is one of the unintended benefits. Fewer safety incidents mean lower insurance costs and a healthier workforce. Timber mats help you create a safer worksite by establishing stable work surfaces for people and equipment with:
- Temporary roads that enable safe access.
- Crane mats that reduce the likelihood of a tip-over.
- Work platforms that make it easier to move freely with fewer trip hazards.
There are a variety of matting options available. Make the best selection for your project with A Complete Guide to Selecting the Right Ground Protection Mats for Your Next Project.
Protect Your Equipment
Rough or uneven terrain can cause wear and tear on heavy equipment, especially tires. Damage and delays caused by going over large rocks, getting stuck in the mud, skidding on ice, or other unexpected events can create unplanned expenses that impact your budget.
You might not always have an issue at the site, but maintenance costs build up over time. Timber mats help level out even the roughest terrain so trucks and heavy equipment can smoothly travel to and from the site.
Protect Your Timeline
You can’t keep your project on track if people, equipment, and materials can’t get to the site. Safe, level surfaces help protect your budget by mitigating delays through proactive planning. Keep your project on schedule by ensuring workers can get to and from the site, no matter the terrain or weather conditions. Temporary roads and work platforms made from timber mats allow people to maneuver more easily, meaning they can work faster and more efficiently.
Protect the Environment
Most construction and utility projects require at least some degree of environmental permitting and compliance. Whether you need erosion control measures to comply with a Stormwater Pollution Prevention Plan (SWPPP) or a method to protect delicate wetlands from soil compaction caused by heavy equipment, timber mats can help. By distributing the weight of the load, timber mats allow you to have a minimal environmental impact on the ground below, so soil and vegetation are not disturbed.
Protect Your Budget
All of this adds up to protecting your budget. When you can get your team to the site safely, reduce equipment maintenance and repair costs, stay on schedule, and comply with environmental regulations, it’s much easier to predict costs and stay within the defined budget. Timber mats can’t solve all your problems, but they can certainly contribute to many of the solutions.
Get Started with YAK ACCESS
We know how important it is to create and stay within an accurate budget. This is why we work closely with all our customers to develop tailored solutions that match your needs. We don’t just look at how much ground you have to cover. We also evaluate the terrain, the expected loads, and other factors to provide you with the most cost-effective solutions for every project, including end-to-end services.
If you’re not sure what types of mats are right for your needs, explore your matting options for your next project with A Complete Guide to Selecting the Right Ground Protection Mats for Your Next Project.
