Penrith Hospital uses Safety Edge Fencing

The Project

Nepean Private Hospital in Penrith is undergoing a major redevelopment, with the construction of a new building adjacent to the existing hospital.

The project aims to substantially expand the local day procedure capacity and set up a host of consulting suites for doctors, with the ultimate goal of doubling the hospital’s capacity within the next decade.

The $600 million project began in mid-2019.

Contractors are working on preparing for construction of the 3-storey building, including excavation of a deep pit.

The excavation had a perimeter of approximately 240 metres, and with staff working in close proximity to the edge, a safety fence was essential to keep everyone safe on site.

The contractor required and strong and stable edge protection fence that could be installed into the capping beam of the pit, which could also be easily removed once the area was deemed to be safe.

The Solution

To create a safe perimeter around the edge of the excavation, the contractors used 240 metres of edge protection fencing. The Fortress Fencing XT Barrier was an ideal solution, providing a secure barrier so that staff could work safely.

The XT Barrier system is a strong temporary fencing solution, ideal for installation around excavations such as this. Each galvanised welded mesh panel comprises 4mm steel wire construction. Plus, the wire grid has centres not exceeding 50mm x 50mm, meaning it complies with AS/NZS 4576.

Each panels also features a rectangular rolled wire top and a rolled wire bottom including a galvanised kick plate. This solid kick plate helps prevent objects from falling through the panel bottom, thereby reducing the risk of losing objects near the drop-off.

Fortress XT Barrier fencing has been used to protect workers in a wide range of different situations, including on multi deck constructions, around shafts and lift wells, on mezzanine levels and around excavations such as this.