Two tips for keeping construction materials safe during your building project

Construction materials can be expensive, so it is important to do what you can to keep these valuable materials safe during your building project. Here are two ways to do this.

Store and carry your materials in new timber crates rather than second-hand ones

During the building process, you will need to use storage containers to store and transport your smaller construction materials. In this situation, new crates are usually the most practical choice of container.

If you have leftover crates from previous building projects, you might be tempted to keep your materials in these. However, it is probably best not to do this, but to instead purchase some new timber crates. The reason for this is that old timber crates that have been used many times and left outdoors for long periods of time in the past are unlikely to be in very good condition. For example, their slats may be cracked from being subjected to the weight of heavy materials or may have begun to rot as a result of being exposed to too much moisture.

If this is the case and you use them to store and carry your building materials, the likelihood of these items sustaining damage will be far higher than if you had used robust new crates instead.

For instance, if the slats at the underside of an old crate are loose or rotting, the base may collapse whilst a labourer is carrying a crate-full of materials around the site, and the materials may then fall to the ground and break. Likewise, if a crate's wooden slats have started to rot and you use this crate to store bits of construction timber, this timber may also begin to rot (as the rotting process is caused by a fungus which can spread from one wooden item to another).

Keep your materials as far away as possible from your heavy construction equipment

It is best to ensure that your construction materials are kept far away from your heavy construction equipment, as the closer they are to one another, the more likely it is that the latter will inflict damage on the former.

For example, if several bags of plaster or cement are left stacked next to the area where a forklift is being used and the operator of this machinery accidentally bumps into these materials, the forks could create a hole in the bags and cause the materials to spill out onto the ground.

Likewise, if a pile of timber is left near a bulldozer, the person operating this equipment could accidentally run over this timber and break it.


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