Construction site planning: Including a wheel washing system

What is the purpose of a construction site wheel wash?

Construction vehicles such as dumpers, front loaders and backhoes, have deep treads on all of their tyres making them incredibly susceptible to picking up mud across the site. Therefore, a system must be installed to contain mud and dirt. Installing a wheel wash system at the site exit intercepts sediment and silt.

A wheel wash is an essential piece of equipment for construction sites which have traffic exiting a site in wet weather.

What are the benefits of a construction site wheel wash?

There are four main benefits to using a wheel wash on a construction site.

1. Limiting debris on public roads: The environmental responsibility of a construction site is vast when it comes to public and private infrastructures. The debris that naturally occurs from construction work causes a lot of dust, dirt and rubble to travel across the site on vehicle tyres and the soles of construction workers boots. Not only does the debris travel across different points of the site, but this can also overflow onto public roads causing a lot of distress to the surrounding residents.

2. Complying with regulations: All sites have to adhere to strict environmental regulations so that trucks do not leave the area with contaminants on their tyres and deposit hem on to public roads. For example, in the UK it is an offence under the Highway Act to deposit mud and debris on the road. Where the offender can be identified, they can be prosecuted by either the police of local highway authorities.

3. Preventing slips and trips: Some of our wheel wash systems are removing up to 7T of mud from lorries and trucks every single day. This is mud which would have been deposited on roads, making it dangerous for nearby residents, had there been no system in place. A wheel wash is a proactive tool construction sites use to limit debris on roads.

4. Being a considerate constructor: Considerate constructor’s best practice hub promotes the use of water recycling wheel wash systems to efficiently use natural resources and promote sustainability.

How do I choose the right wheel wash for my construction site?  

The Wheelwash team have supplied wheel wash systems to the majority of the top 100 construction company’s in the UK.

We plan, build and maintain your wheel wash system so it works and will continue to work for you.

Some of the factors we will take into consideration when choosing the wheel wash for you includes:

1. Size / space available

2. Vehicle traffic: The volume and type of vehicles matters to get you the right wheel wash for your construction site. Here’s the information we consider about your site vehicles.

3. Hire or buy: Only need your wheel wash for a short period of time? No problem. You can rent a wheel wash for as long as you need it on a week-by-week basis. Here’s a guide to renting vs buying your wheel wash system.

4. Availability of water: No water available? Ecoramp is our completely waterless wheel wash system. Ecoramp is a drive-over dry ramp system which works on the vibration effect to shake the dirt from tyre. It needs no power and is virtually maintenance-free. Water available? Wheel wash systems such as the Ecowash Extreme’s 12m platform has a 55,000-litre water recycling tank to promote the conservation of natural resources.

Further reading:  Avoid these four mistakes

What do I need to budget for a  construction site wheel wash? 

All of the Wheelwash systems are designed to be modular for total flexibility. Not only that, Wheelwash offer a full consultation process from the start of any enquiry, providing expertise and support, taking great care to understand exactly what is needed to make sure the most suitable system is rented for your site space, vehicle traffic and budget. The outright purchase of a state-of-the-art wheel wash system can sometimes be prohibitive if the installation won’t be permanent; but with Wheelwash, renting the same system makes it economically viable.

To find out more about the support that Wheelwash can provide in project planning, contact us.