Planning interior protection for your business’ upcoming project can be difficult. You may be spending your days searching “temporary dust containment” or “temporary construction dust barrier,” and after looking through yet another provider, you just can’t look anymore. But, if you’re reading this, you can finally stop your search. Here are the eight things you should consider when choosing an interior protection company. Spoiler alert: ShieldWorks covers them all.

1. Longevity in the Industry

The Interior Protection community is a small one. The top two and most “tenured” players have specialized in this type of work for over twenty years. The combined experience of all of the competitors would not even total twenty years.

  • We have a long, proven history in the industry.
  • For over 22 years, ShieldWorks has provided Temporary Dust and Debris Containment Services throughout North America.
  • A long history (4 generations) in general contracting
  • In the mid-2000s, we shifted our focus to Temporary Dust and Debris Containment.
  • Expanded the business nationally and work with several Fortune 500 companies

2. Financial Stability

Along with experience in this industry comes a backlog of experience with Fortune-100 companies. ShieldWorks has maintained relationships with many of these clients for multiple decades and multiple projects. Financial stability and steady growth have allowed ShieldWorks the option to negotiate nationwide agreements and the flexibility to optimize production, material, and time-sensitive elements that our customers desire.

3. Production Capacity

We have maintained a mentality throughout our 20-plus years in the industry: We are big enough to perform any size project, yet we are small enough to still care. Our capacity is such that we can balance multi-million-square-foot projects in multiple regions across the United States while fully servicing our smaller clients. Many of our competitors will tell you they can do your next big project, only to land it, then subcontract the labor to get it done. Needless to say, besides quality in performance, many possible failures are sure to follow.

4. Authenticity in Materials and Methods of Production

Suffice it to say that our research and development of each element is worth its weight in gold to our clients. ShieldWorks has worked tirelessly to develop and install the best, most appropriate materials for each client/project. Many in our industry communicate that they can provide and install a “UL 723/s – Approved” product (approved for below-sprinkler installation). Still, very few incur the expense or maintain the integrity to do so.

  • We have time-proven materials and methodology.
  • The process by which an interior protection system is installed has as much to do with the methodology we use as it does materials.
  • In many cases, an interior protection system has to be installed in a congested, active production environment. 
  • Our installers are often asked to work during/and around production. 
  • Materials that we use:
    • Poly (6 mils string reinforced & IntelliShield)
    • Nylon strapping
    • Seaming materials (staples/pins.)
    • Specialized tape
    • Netting (when heavier debris is expected)
    • Heat-shrink material (for special applications)

5. Is your next Interior Protection Contractor Environmentally Conscious?

Is your next Interior Protection Contractor Environmentally Conscious? – While you may find a few that give lip service to being so, please do the research. ShieldWorks installs the only fully recyclable interior protection system available. This product is only available to ShieldWorks’ clients. No other industry competitor allows you the option of averting the transport of the disposed poly to a landfill.

6. We Have Systems to Prevent Failures

We take a project’s success very seriously here at ShieldWorks. Early in our path to forming interior protection standards, we sought to eliminate the common pitfalls. The majority of those centered around getting-in-to-get-a-project-installed (efficiently) and getting-back-in-to-get-it-removed (safely, efficiently & effectively). 

It has come down to knowing our team and teaching them capacity, safety, and compliance. From that, we grew an entire Operations Team centered around scheduling. We desire to make the customer fully aware of our schedule and to be as flexible as possible with owners/contractors to satisfy each project we have carefully placed before ourselves.

7. Safety is the Priority

Safety is Success. It allows us to rest at night. At ShieldWorks, we realize that our success is directly related to our people and partners’ safety. Ask our team members, and ask our clients!

  • A proven safety record
  • Before an interior protection project begins, a site-specific job hazard analysis is conducted with our crew leader to identify exposures and address specific job site concerns
  • Our internal safety training courses include:
    • First-Aid
    • Lift Certification
    • Fall Protection
    • CPR
    • Blood-Born Pathogens
    • Electrical Hazards
    • OSHA 10
    • OSHA 30
    • Articulating Boom Lift and Scissor Lift Training
    • Fall Protection
    • Personal Protective Equipment
    • Ladder Safety
    • Lockout/Tagout Control of Hazardous Energy
    • Driving Safety
    • Electrical Safety
    • Ramset Training

8. Does your next Interior Protection Contractor have a Mission Statement?

Do they have a Vision Statement? If so, ask a few of their listed references if they were aware of it; ask them if their experience matched up to their statements. ShieldWorks has built its foundation on being true to our mission and vision.

These aspects of our company are only the beginning of what ShildWorks can offer you. With our top-of-the-line products and dedicated ingenuity, we want to be a partner for your business. So if you need interior protection for your next project, schedule an evaluation with us today!