Temporary fencing and hoardings - New Australian Standards published

[Jackson Jones]

Please be advised that AS4687 Temporary fencing and hoardings has been republished. The updated versions are available from SAI Global.

The 2007 version was ambiguous about the design wind speed of temporary fences and hoardings. The updated version provides more clarity on the gust wind speed, i.e. 39m/s for conventional construction sites.

The new publication of AS 4687:2022 consists of 4 parts as below:

• Part 1: General requirements – includes sections on design actions (permanent, imposed and wind), design analysis and testing,
• Part 2: Temporary fencing and temporary pedestrian barriers – includes sections on classifying fences, components, installation, conformance and testing. This part introduces a class of temporary fence called “Stability class”. It is recommended that “Stability class” fences are not used on construction sites.
• Part 3: Temporary hoardings – includes sections on systems, components, installation, conformance and testing.
• Part 4: Temporary swimming pool fencing.

If you are procuring proprietary temporary fences or hoardings, please ensure the supplier provides a system that complies with the wind speed requirements of AS 4687.1:2022. Please ensure the temporary fences or hoardings have also been designed for the correct terrain category, shielding class, site topography and proximity to nearby buildings.

If you have any questions on any of the above, please contact twf@engineersaustralia.org.au.