Safety-first fencing for student training

Gloucestershire Engineering Training runs workshop-based courses for apprentices and engineering students. Their facility is open-plan: machinery sits close to pedestrian walkways, and a staircase from the classrooms leads directly onto the workshop floor. Students could come downstairs and walk straight into areas with live equipment.

So the site needed proper physical separation between people and machines.

GET had already tried to solve the problem. A previous local fabricator had built guardrails for them, but the quality wasn't there and the installation wasn't fit for purpose. As a registered charity working within a strict budget, GET couldn't afford to get it wrong twice.

They approached us directly, as a local partner who they could engage directly with – no formal tender, no sales process. They visited our workshop, explained the problem, and talked through what they had in mind.

GET's original concept was more elaborate than their budget could support, so we worked through the design with them – simplifying the structure and engineering the cost down. Mild steel posts at around 1.5 metres high, angled frames between them, welded mesh infill panels, and a galvanised top handrail specified by the client.

The building's layout added some practical complexity. The walkway route included tight directional changes coming off the staircase, a sharp right turn followed by a left, and the handrail had to remain continuous, smooth, and snag-free throughout while meeting regulations.

Everything was manufactured in-house and custom at JGB: cutting, welding, cleaning, finishing, powder coating in safety yellow, and final assembly. The four-to-five-week lead time ran through to installation, which was scheduled during half-term so students weren't on site.

GET have since returned to JGB for quotes on additional projects and we anticipate a longstanding partnership.