Platform & edge protection
What is a brick guard?
A brick guard is a mesh panel fitted between the guard rails and the toe board, closing the gap so stacked material cannot fall from the platform edge.
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<img src="https://scaffoldoptix.co.uk/glossary/brick-guard/diagram.svg" alt="brick guard — scaffold diagram from ScaffoldOptix" width="880" height="620" loading="lazy">
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<a href="https://scaffoldoptix.co.uk/glossary/brick-guard">What is a brick guard?</a> — diagram by
<a href="https://scaffoldoptix.co.uk">ScaffoldOptix</a>
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</figure>A toe board stops what is at foot level. Above it, between the rails, there is an open gap — and material stacked on a platform is frequently taller than the toe board. The brick guard closes that.
They are used wherever material is stored at the edge of a platform and wherever there is anything below worth protecting: a footway, an access route, an occupied area.
Brick guards, toe boards and netting are three answers to the same problem at different heights and scales, and they are used together rather than instead of each other.
What goes wrong on site
- Omitted on platforms where material is stacked above toe board height.
- Fitted loosely, so they can be dislodged by the material they are containing.
- Removed to land material and not replaced.