Metal railings replace playground timber barriers

Mount Church of England Primary School in Newark was renovating its outdoor play areas and wanted to replace wooden timber post fencing with metal railings.

The main contractor, Malcolm Construction had experience of an Alpha Rail installation at another school and suggested that quotes and designs be obtained from us.

Most of the old timber posts had become damaged due to exposure to the weather and from children climbing on them, and there was now a risk that children might get injuries from wooden splinters. Metal railings were seen as a more appropriate alternative as they will remain attractive in appearance for longer, be less of a temptation to climb and require less maintenance.

The project involved us conducting a full site survey as the school wanted to retain the wavy line boundaries created by the timber post fencing. This involved measuring several curves and calculating the rakes and radiuses as the fencing weaved its way around the perimeter of the play areas.

In total, Alpha Rail installed 53 linear metres of flat top metal railings, 41 linear metres of wavy top railings and a single leaf gate. These were installed around the school and nursery playgrounds and other general school areas where protective barriers were needed to ensure children and parents were protected. The railings were supplied polyester powder coated Green RAL 9001.

The railings also met the Playspec standard, which is a trademarked type of metal railings designed to meet the anti-entrapment requirements of the BS EN 1176 play equipment safety standard. This standard denotes that the gaps between the railings do not exceed 89mm and therefore reduce the risk of neck entrapment.

Commenting, Craig Ford, Estimating Manager for Malcolm Construction, commented, “Alpha Rail carried out a very good job. The site was kept clean during all works and the finished result looks open and fresh. The school staff were really pleased with the results. Their service was second to none and they worked well with the school both outside and inside of school hours to ensure the project ran smoothly and finished on time.”