Landscape & Urban Design Issue 24 2017 | Page 44

Straight where you want it W ith cutting dry paving cutting, but many landscapers opt the place you want it. Whether you slabs and natural instead to cut dry, avoiding the use of are cutting through paving slabs or stone having a water altogether. natural stone your safety won’t be negative impact on compromised and the job won’t be a landscaper’s health, what are the With any markings and guides made alternatives to achieveing a fast, ready for cutting the material washed accurate cut? Hyde’s John Dabb takes away, following HSE guidelines can The patented Brickworker Slab Cutting a look. really slow you down and even lead to Guide can be used to cut slabs slowed down in any way. inaccuracies. However, cutting dry can between 20mm-60mm thick and Cutting paving slabs and flag stones prove costly not just to your health, 210mm-910mm long and achieves is part and parcel of a landscaper‘s but to your bank balance too, as being a clean, accurate cut in just a few working day, but doing so without caught out will result in a fine. simple steps as shown below: compromising on your health and safety has become an ever-more The Slab Cutting tricky task. The latest HSE regulations Guide from stipulate that stone and rock should Brickworker is be dampened with water prior to therefore an being cut, to reduce the amount of inexpensive and dust produced. all-round much safer alternative With some of the nasty side effects of way of working for breathing in too much of the resulting landscapers. dust including lung diseases such as silicosis, emphysema and even lung Locking on to the cancer, these regulations shouldn’t be slab or tile, this flouted, particularly for landscapers simple yet clever who are exposed to the risks on a device helps achieve daily basis. Wearing a dust mask will a fast, accurate go some way to protecting you while straight cut, in exactly 44 Landscape & Urban Design