COVID-19 Testing Site Security – Edinburgh Airport

Security, Privacy and Rapid Response. Three of the characteristics of the new COVID-19 Testing Site at Edinburgh Airport. When A-Plant (Sunbelt Rental) contacted the RRPST on Bank Holiday Monday to see if we could supply, on a hire basis; 550m of 2.4m Fencesafe Eclipse with Privacy Scrim Netting and Ballast to Edinburgh Airport for set up the next day the team jumped in to action.

This latest testing site joins 26 others across the United Kingdom dedicated to testing NHS staff and keyworkers on an appointment basis. Providing PCR swab tests, which can be used to identify if you have coronavirus, the site adds thousands more test kits to the UK strategy.

With a UK Government target of 100,000 tests per day by the end of the month, the speed at which these new sites can be established is becoming a key response to the crisis. As with the recently commissioned Aberdeen Testing Centre, the RRPST had a limited lead time to get everything ready and on the road.

When forming the Rapid Response Physical Security Team (RRPST) at the start of April, one of the key areas was a 24/7 response. This was put to the test with Edinburgh. At almost twice the size of the Aberdeen Testing centre, the RRPST had to pull out all the stops to turn around the supply in the 24hr window.

Recalling staff from their bank holiday weekend, over half a kilometre of FenceSafe was picked on bank holiday Monday afternoon and loaded late in the evening for the long drive from Sandbach to Edinburgh by WS Transportation. At the same time ballast from Northern Scotland was being loaded onto trucks from Dyce Carriers Ltd to be shipped down to meet up at the Edinburgh Airport site.

Russell Wells (Global Sales Director) and Kevin Wells (FenceSafe Product Champion), travelled early on Tuesday 14th April to be at site for initial set up with the team from A-Plant (Sunbelt Rental) to run over the wind loading calculations and formation of the temporary fencing so that it could take the privacy scrim netting and maintain BS EN 1991.

The addition of the privacy scrim netting allows the site to maintain medical screening throughout its operation. Thanks to the patented ballast bases of the FenceSafe system, it can cope with windspeed without fear of overturn.

In total just over 550m and FenceSafe temporary fencing, 1no Double Leaf Temporary Vehicle Access Gate and 1no Single Leaf Temporary Pedestrian Access Gate, were picked, packed, shipped and ready for installation by 9am on the Tuesday with associated ballast and scrim netting.

Stewart Plant, Director of Marketing at CLD Fencing Systems said “In challenging times, to see the unbelievable efforts and selfless dedication from all the team members at CLD Fencing Systems has been amazing. From the shop floor to the board room, everyone is pulling together to make a difference.”

If you are a front-line organisation that needs support from the RRPST please visit or FREEPHONE 0800 074 2861 24hrs a day.