General
- Have a first aid kit to hand. A suitable kit is listed below.
- All volunteers should ensure that their tetanus inoculation is up to date.
- Do not work in soaking rain. Once gloves, tools and materials are sodden, the danger of accident increases, and slopes become hazardous.
Lifting and carrying
- Avoid this as much as possible, by getting the materials delivered direct to the worksite. Transport along the line of the fence is very useful, especially for deer fencing, which uses heavy posts and netting.
- When lifting, always bend the knees and not the back. Make full use of the stronger leg muscles, rather than the weaker back muscles. Keep the back straight, though not necessarily vertical, as in this diagram.
- Always place the feet apart in such a way that the body is balanced. Lifting tends to pull the body off balance, and if this is counteracted by the lower back muscles instead of the legs and feet, damage to the back can occur. When lifting or putting down, place one foot in front of the other, to help one’s balance.
- Look up as you lift, as this helps to get the spine into the best position. Never lift anything while reaching away from the body, with your feet at a distance from the object. If you can’t get right up to the object because of some obstruction, don’t attempt the lift.
- Never attempt to carry anything beyond your capability. Back injury can be caused literally in a moment, and can give years of trouble. It is not worth risking it.
- Carry with your arms held fairly straight, to avoid strain to the muscles of the upper arm and chest. Grip with the palms of the hands, not the fingers. If you slip, let go of the item so that it falls away from you.
- Straining posts should be carried by two people, each holding an end of the post at the side of the body. Remember that when carrying up or down a slope, the person on the lower side carries much more of the weight. When traversing a slope, carry the post on the lower side, so it will fall safely out of the way if either person slips.
- For longer distances, two experienced workers can carry large straining posts on the shoulders. The two people need to be of about equal height and strength. Both of them lift one end, and rest it on the shoulder of one person. The other person then lifts the other end onto his own shoulder, bending the knees and keeping the back straight as described above. If you’re not wearing a thick jacket, one folded across the shoulder helps prevent chafing. Straining posts for deer fences may need to be carried by three people, though it is not easy to distribute the weight fairly.
- Rolls of barbed wire should be carried on a stake or crowbar, one person holding either end and wearing a leather glove. Beware of the roll slipping on the crowbar when carrying on a slope.
- Rolls of standard height stock netting should be carried by two people, one holding at either end. Most high tensile stock netting is supplied in 100m rolls, with the taller sizes extremely heavy, and requiring mechanical lifting and transport. Never push rolls downslope as a way of moving them, as the roll is likely to get out of control, and the galvanising will be damaged.
- Large tools should be carried at the side of the body, with the blade or point facing forwards and downwards. If the carrier then slips, the tools can be safely dropped to the side. Carry small tools in a bucket or belt. Although it seems convenient, do not place hand tools on the tops of posts, from where they can fall and injure anyone working by the post.
Handling materials
- Beware of handling recently treated wood, which may still be damp with preservative. Delivery of recently treated timber should not really be accepted, but sometimes this may be unavoidable. Wear industrial rubber gloves when handling the timber, and take special care not to rub your eyes with a preservative-stained finger.
- Take great care when unrolling stock netting, and extreme care with high tensile netting. It has been known for a person handling the roll to be knocked over when the roll suddenly uncoils from the centre. Always keep your fingers out of the mesh, or they will become trapped as the roll uncoils from the centre.
- Always anchor the free ends of unrolled netting, plain or barbed wire, as it will recoil. Normally this should be attached to strainers as soon as it is unrolled, but if not, attach it temporarily to a post with a staple, partly driven. The ends of mild steel or barbed wire can be anchored by poking them into the ground, but there remains the danger of them recoiling if anyone trips over them. Spring steel or high tensile wire should not be anchored by pushing it into the ground.
- Spring steel or high tensile wire should be held securely on both sides of any cut being made, and then the free end fastened. Put a loop in the end of the wire on the coil, so that it is easy to find again.
- When removing or repairing old fences, take care while releasing any tensioned wire, as it may spring back. Hold the wire while cutting, and then loosely secure the free end, before removing staples and rewinding the wire.
- Always wear gloves when handling barbed wire. Wind up disused barbed wire onto an old stake and fasten the end securely.
Tidying the site
- Collect up any pieces of timber treated with copper/chrome/arsenic or creosote. Such timber gives off noxious fumes when burnt, and should be disposed of at an authorised refuse site.
- Collect up every piece of unused wire, including all staples, as they can be a danger to animals. Small pieces of wire can be buried on site, but any rolls of disused barbed wire or netting that cannot be salvaged should be taken to an authorised refuse site. Don’t leave it piled up somewhere in the expectation that someone else will soon be clearing it up, because the chances are that it will soon be half grown over with vegetation, and a hazard to animals and people.
The Health and Safety Executive publishes a series of safety guides. Fencing provides a checklist for the safe erection and dismantling of post and wire fences.
