subject: How Tarps Can Be Used in Commercial Settings [print this page] How Tarps Can Be Used in Commercial Settings
A tarp may be used to cover your car, but did you know that the same material can be used on a truck bed, a construction site, a baseball field, or a farm? On a larger scale, heavy-duty polyethylene tarps are effective and necessary in various commercial instances. A polyethylene tarp, also called a "poly tarp," is a heavy-duty material treated to be UV resistant, waterproof, rot proof, and mildew resistant. This combination of properties allows the tarp to keep water and damaging UV rays away from an object needing protection. Once the material is secured, it proves to be effective in protecting wood, asphalt, hay, and earth against the elements.
Tarps can surround or cover a load on a dump or flatbed truck. Wood and asphalt, in particular, need to be kept dry and away from moisture and water. As a load is being transported over a long distance, the product, exposed, would be ruined by the weather. A tarp surrounding a load of wood or covering asphalt keeps the material dry in all conditions.
Additionally, some states have litter laws regarding materials transported in trucks. No matter if trash is being taken to a junkyard in a pickup or gravel to a construction site, a tarp needs to cover the bed of the truck to prevent materials from flying out and becoming litter or a hazard to pedestrian or motorists.
Hay, similarly, needs protection from moisture, water, and UV rays. Even when left in a barn, hay can experience rot from mold or mildew. Protecting bales of hay tends to keep a greater portion of the crop in sellable condition, and as hay is being stored, a large tarp can surround three to 10 bales of hay outdoors. On the bottom and all sides of the hay formation, the poly tarp keeps out water and UV rays and reduces mold, mildew, and dry rot buildup.
Much like materials flying out of a truck, small particles need to be contained on a construction site facing a street. In order to keep the dust in, a tarp is attached to the fence surrounding a construction site. Workers, however, need to be outdoors in all conditions, and tarps may also be used to create a comfortable work environment. Draped over the side of a building in progress, a tarp keeps heat contained for workers inside the structure.
Rain can also stop a sports game and ruin a field. If a sports game is interrupted by rain, the audience is likely asked to go home. As everyone is leaving the area, a maintenance crew comes out to the field and rolls out a large tarp, weighted at the edges. The tarp keeps the ground dry during the storm, and players can resume practice or another game the next day.
