The fence around your property is a huge asset. It helps to ensure your own safety and that of others too. However, as the owner of a fence, you also carry responsibility regarding that fence. Here are a few things that you need to know:
Fencing for dangerous areas
As a property owner, it’s your responsibility to ensure that fencing around danger zones is adequate. A danger zone could include:
- high traffic areas
- flammable goods storage
- dams or waterways
- areas where machines are operating
Essentially, a danger zone is anywhere on the property that somebody could potentially be harmed. It’s your obligation to anticipate these situations and erect fencing that is secure and strong enough to keep unauthorized people out of an area that isn’t safe for them to enter.
Animals
As the owner of stock (or even a dog) it is your responsibility to make sure that your fencing is up to standard, and secure enough to contain your animals. Stock that escapes onto roadways can cause car accidents (which could mean fatalities) for which you can be held responsible.
Aggressive stock could pose a serious threat to the public and if your fencing isn’t secure enough, you could face serious legal trouble – not a position that you want to find yourself in.
Apart from danger to other people, straying animals can cause damage to neighbouring property and/or harass neighbouring stock. Hefty fines apply to dog owners if their dogs stray into other people’s property and attack either people or stock. However, you can stop this situation from occurring by anticipating it and erecting fencing to make sure it doesn’t happen.
Maintenance
You’ve erected a strong, secure fence. That’s great! It’s also your job to maintain that fence. Routine fence checks should form a regular part of your Safe Work Place Strategy.
This means a physical check of the fence to look for:
- evidence of vandalism or tampering
- weather damage
- Breaks or weak spots in the fence
Also, you must take the time to check that all gates, turnstiles and other access control systems are working correctly. This includes all identification systems and remotes too – for your workplace to be a safe and effective one, everything needs to be in top running order all the time!
Installing and caring for the fencing on your property is your duty as a responsible landowner. Apart from keeping yourself out of the hands of the law, it’s the only right thing to do – it’s incumbent upon you as an individual to care for yourself, your family and anyone else in that enters your area of responsibility.
Take the initiative and ensure that your fencing is up to scratch! The team at Australian Security Fencing is only too ready to help you design and install a fencing system with minimal upkeep, that has all your needs covered. Call us today on 1800 666 927 and talk to our friendly staff. We understand what you need and we’ve got solutions!