AU2020270505B2

AU2020270505B2 - Clamping of Safety Decking

Info

Publication number: AU2020270505B2
Application number: AU2020270505A
Authority: AU
Inventors: Grant Edwards; Peter Horton; Tim Thompson
Original assignee: Buildsafe Equipment Sales Pty Ltd
Current assignee: Buildsafe Equipment Sales Pty Ltd
Priority date: 2020-11-18
Filing date: 2020-11-18
Publication date: 2024-03-07
Anticipated expiration: 2040-11-18
Also published as: AU2020270505A1

Abstract

EDITORIAL NOTE APPLICATION NUMBER - 2020270505 Please note: Abstract page 17 should be numbered 16. 17 Abstract A temporary decking assembly covering at least portion of a void gap in the flooring of a building under construction or renovation. The decking assembly comprises a 5 plurality of deck panels arranged side by side. Adjacent panels are fastened together by one or more clamps. Each clamp comprises a first bearing portion which bears downwards upon an upper face of each of two adjacent panels, and a second bearing portion which bears upwards upon a lower face of each of the two adjacent panels, Ile jlf S% f 1.0 .. 's-0 No's 14 a 9 0 , . a 9 . , , I 'ON v If No to, ON 9 No 0 so No 4 of 4 so No f No No No 41 1 41 0 a , 11:1-0 1ZD No so. .4 No, to* I " to 0 so No Or 4 of 4 to .I. so so t *q, .40 NO 0 4 a 0 0 IN0,14s. Is 0 0 0 0 1, #1 so NO 0 1 Noto so ON* to to, NO No IN *0 4 go No IF .6 .0, 1 M. so if a 4 04, No 4 IN* so 00 too Is .,# . .04.0 'so a 0 ON* 1*11 .0 to$ I' to sox,, go so soNo too so NO so IF 0 6 S I " 1.9 .6 of No a 0 too No.. I A. .::,.# .,Nq 0.0.0:0. d No N i No C\j 4 No, IN 9, .6 so # No's 000 IN NO No 0 to 0 No 'A No w No, * IN Is` NO, No's I., %44 NO ...# Is No IN Is IF so

Description

Abstract

A temporary decking assembly covering at least portion of a void gap in the flooring of a building under construction or renovation. The decking assembly comprises a plurality of deck panels arranged side by side. Adjacent panels are fastened together by one or more clamps. Each clamp comprises a first bearing portion which bears downwards upon an upper face of each of two adjacent panels, and a second bearing portion which bears upwards upon a lower face of each of the two adjacent panels,

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I CLAMPING OF SAFETY DECKING

Technical Field

This invention concerns safety decking used to provide protection against falls by personnel into a void in a building under construction or renovation.

Background

It is known to use temporary decking as a fall-protection safety measure in buildings under construction where a void exists, typically where a stairway will eventually be located. Such decking may be constructed from panels having a flat solid sheet with supporting side rails affixed on the underside where the side rails have hooks affixed at their ends for locating onto horizontal support rails which are fixed to span the void being covered. A panel of this type is described in our Australian Patent application no. 2012261732 and the contents of that specification are hereby incorporated into the present specification.

Such panels are available in a variety of lengths to cater for different void lengths. Most are typically about 600mm wide while additional panels 200mm, 300mm and 750mm wide are used to make up the appropriate width.

A problem with such decking systems is that tradespeople often move some panels, in order to improve access, and then fail to properly reposition the panels so leaving a dangerous gap through which workers can fall. An aim of the present invention is to provide a clamping system for a decking assembly which makes it more difficult for unauthorized removal of individual panels,

Summary of Invention

Accordingly, in one aspect the invention provides a clamp for fastening to each other the adjacent edges of two deck panels in a building's temporary decking assembly, said clamp comprising: - a threaded shaft having an enlarged engageable head at one end of the shaft, - a first plate having a hole threadedly engaged with the shaft, - a second plate which: - has a hole through which said shaft loosely passes, and - is engaged with said shaft between said head and said first plate, and - an arm which is rigidly attached to one of said plates and extends in loose sliding engagement through an aperture in the other of said plates.

Preferably said arm is rigidly attached to said second plate and extends through an aperture in said first plate.

Preferably one of said plates has a parallel pair of linear protrusions, one each on opposite sides of said shaft and distal from the shaft, and rising towards the other of said plates.

Preferably said second plate has a parallel pair of linear protrusions along two of its opposite edges and rising towards said first plate.

Preferably said shaft has a second head rigidly affixed to its other end.

Preferably the first and second heads on their respective ends of the shaft are the same nominal size for tightening tool engagement.

In another aspect the invention provides a temporary decking assembly covering at least portion of a void gap in the flooring of a building under construction or renovation, said decking assembly comprising a plurality of deck panels arranged side by side such that adjacent said panels are fastened together by one or more clamps as defined above.

In a further aspect the invention provides a temporary decking assembly covering at least portion of a void gap in the flooring of a building under construction or renovation, said decking assembly comprising a plurality of deck panels arranged side by side, each panel having an upper face, a lower face, and side faces wherein: - adjacent said panels are fastened together by one or more clamps, - each said clamp comprises a first bearing portion which bears downwards upon a said upper face of each of two adjacent said panels, and a second bearing portion which bears upwards upon a said lower face of each of said adjacent panels.

Preferably a further portion of each said clamp extends between said adjacent panels and thereby separates said adjacent panels from each other.

Preferably said further portion comprises: - a threaded shaft which threadedly engages one of said bearing portions, and - a stabilizing arm which extends from one of said bearing portions to through an aperture in the other of said bearing portions.

Preferably at least one of said threaded shaft and said stabilizing arm bears against a side face of each of said two adjacent panels.

Preferably said panels include an edging which wraps around their said side faces, and nests into one of said bearing portions.

Preferably: - each said deck panel comprises a top sheet portion and a pair of underlying longitudinal side rails fastened to the top sheet portion, and - each end of each said side rail has a downwardly directed hook.

Preferably each said deck panel is supported by a pair of support rails spanning said void gap and engaged with said downwardly directed hooks.

In a further aspect the invention provides a method of erecting a temporary decking assembly covering at least portion of a void gap in the flooring of a building under construction or renovation, said method comprising: - positioning two deck panels side by side with a gap between them - from one side of said panels, positioning a clamp between said panels and tightening it such that: - a first bearing portion of the clamp bears downwards upon an upper face of each said panel, - a second bearing portion of the clamp bears upwards upon a lower face of each said panel, - a threaded shaft portion of the clamp extends downwards between said panels, and - a stabilizing arm rigidly attached to a first of said bearing portions extends between said panels and engages with an aperture in said bearing portion to prevent rotation of said bearing portions relative to each other, - whereby said panels are fastened to each other by said clamp.

Preferably said positioning of said clamp includes sliding said clamp into position along said gap from an end of said panels.

Preferably clearance of the shaft from the panels is provided by said stabilizing arm being wider than the outside diameter of the thread on the shaft.

Preferably rotation of one of said bearing portions is resisted by protrusions on that bearing portion engaging with a step on said panel faces it is bearing upon.

In a further aspect of the invention, there is provided a temporary decking assembly for covering at least a portion of a void gap in the flooring of a building under construction or renovation, said decking assembly comprising: a plurality of deck panels arranged side by side, each panel having an upper face, a lower face, and side faces; and one or more clamps, the, or each, clamp comprising: a first plate that is threadedly engageable with a shaft having an enlarged engageable head at one end of the shaft; a second plate having a hole through which the shaft passes loosely, the second plate being engaged with the shaft between the head and the first plate such that rotation of the shaft can serve to drive the first and second plates towards each other; and at least one arm that is rigidly attached to one of the first and second plates and extends in loose sliding engagement through at least one corresponding aperture in the other of the plates, wherein: the first and second plates bear on respective faces of adjacent panels to fasten the panels to each other.

The first plate may have a hole that is threadedly engageable with the shaft.

The, or each, arm may be dimensioned so that it bears against a side face of each of the two adjacent panels while maintaining a clearance between the side faces and the threaded shaft.

The panels may include an edging, which wraps around their side faces, and nests into one of the plates.

Each panel may comprise a top sheet portion and at least one underlying side rail fastened to the top sheet portion.

The, or each, side rail may include a top flange portion, a bottom flange portion, and a vertical web portion linking the top flange portion to the bottom flange portion.

The top flange may include an outer wing that extends from the web towards a corresponding edge of the panel, and an inner wing that extends from the web towards the centre of the panel.

Each outer wing may carry an upwardly extending return that folds around to form a square-ended channel into which a corresponding edge of the panel fits, the return being configured to provide an anchorage for the, or each, clamp.

4b

A termination of the return may form a step that rises from a face of the top sheet portion, one of the plates of the, or each, clamp defining opposed linear protrusions on respective opposite edges of the plate to overhang the steps of the adjacent panels that are fastened to each other, to inhibit the panels from sliding out of the, or each, tightened clamp.

The temporary decking assembly may include at least two support rails that span a width of the void gap to support the deck panels.

A hook may be carried on each end of the side rails, the hooks protruding beyond the edges of the top sheet portion and being engageable with the support rails so that the panels can be supported on the support rails.

The, or each, clamp may include the threaded shaft.

According to a further aspect of the invention, there is provided a clamp for fastening adjacent edges of two deck panels to each other, the clamp comprising: a first plate threadedly engageable with a threaded shaft having an enlarged engageable head at one end of the shaft; a second plate having a hole through which the shaft can pass loosely, the second plate being engageable with the shaft between the head and the first plate such that rotation of the shaft can serve to drive the first and second plates towards each other; and at least one arm that is rigidly attached to one of the first and second plates and extends in loose sliding engagement through an aperture in the other of the plates.

The clamp may include the threaded shaft.

According to a further aspect of the invention, there is provided a method of erecting a temporary decking assembly covering at least a portion of a void gap in the flooring of a building under construction or renovation, said method comprising: positioning two deck panels side by side with a gap between them, each panel having an upper face, a lower face, and side faces; from one side of the panels, positioning at least one clamp between the panels, the, or each, clamp comprising:

4c

a first plate threadedly engageable with a threaded shaft having an enlarged engageable head at one end of the shaft; a second plate having a hole through which the shaft can pass loosely, the second plate being engageable with the shaft between the head and the first plate such that rotation of the shaft can serve to drive the first and second plates towards each other; and an arm that is rigidly attached to one of the first and second plates and can extend in loose sliding engagement through an aperture in the other of the plates; and rotating the shaft to drive the plates towards each other so that they can bear on respective upper and lower faces of the two panels to fasten the panels to each other.

Positioning the, or each, clamp may include sliding the, or each, clamp into position along the gap from an end of the panels.

Brief Description of Drawings

In order that the invention may be more fully understood there will now be described, by way of example only, preferred embodiments and other elements of the invention with reference to the accompanying drawings where: Figure 1 is a perspective view from above a void across which is installed a temporary decking assembly according to a first embodiment of the present invention; Figure 2 shows the underside of a deck panel included in the decking shown in to Figure 1; Figure 3 is a view of a clamp included in the decking assembly shown in Figure 1; Figure 4 is a different view of the clamp shown in Figure 3; Figure 5 is an end view of portion of the installed decking assembly shown in Figure 1 and incorporating the clamp shown in Figure 3; Figure 6 is an end view showing the decking assembly portion in Figure 5 before the clamp is tightened; Figure 7 is a thin section through portion of the assembly shown in Figure 6; and Figure 8 is a close up view of portion of the decking assembly shown in Figure 1.

Description of Embodiments of the Present Invention

Figure 1 shows a temporary decking assembly 10 when affixed across a void gap 12 in the floor structure 14 of a building under construction. The void gap 12 is due to a void 13 being left in the structure to allow for later installation of a staircase. The void 13 is shown within a partly completed floor structure 14 comprising floor joists 15 and end joists 16.

The decking assembly 10 comprises eight wide deck panels 18 each 1800x600mm, six narrower deck panels 19 each 1800x300mm, a wide ladder-access panel 20 1800x600mm and associated support rails 22. The ladder-access panel 20 differs from the wide deck panels 18 in that it includes a hinged flap 17 occupying an access gap 21 which allows for access via a ladder 23 through the decking assembly 10.

All the panels 18, 19, 20 are supported at their respective ends by the support rails 22 which each span the full width of the void gap 12 and are securely fastened at their ends by screwing to edge beams 16. The support rails 22 are telescopically adjustable in order to provide the required length required to fit between the respective edge beams.

The panels 18 and 19 each comprise a top sheet portion 28 and 29 and a pair of underlying longitudinal side rails 30 and 31 permanently fastened by fasteners 32 to the top sheet portion 28 and 29.

The following description of the construction of a wide deck panel 18 and its incorporation into a decking assembly can also be applied in general to the other panels 19 and 20.

The top sheet portion 28 of a panel 18 may be formed of a structural grade plywood for its full thickness. More preferably, and as best shown in Figure 7, the top sheet portion 28 is a partially-hollow hard composite structure of thin wall fibre-reinforced plastics material. The top sheet portion 28 has a thin upper wall 55, a thin lower wall 56, and a honeycomb-patterned web structure 57 extending between the walls. The web structure comprises thin walls extending transverse to the walls 55 and 56 and arranged as connected hexagons. Moulded into the upper surface of the upper wall 55 is a pattern of raised domes 27 to improve the grip of foot traffic.

Each end of the longitudinal rails 30 and 31 carries a downwardly directed open mouthed hook 34 and 35 which protrudes beyond the end of the top sheet 28. The support rails 22 extend across the void at right angles to the longitudinal rails. Each protruding hook 34 and 35 engages with, and is supported by, a respective support rail 22.

The decking assembly 10 includes four support rails 22 which, in combination, support the panels 18-20. The panels are in three rows. The outer two support rails 24 each support one end of each of the panels in one row. The inner two support rails 25 each support one end of each of the panels in two rows.

Most of the length of each longitudinal rail 30 and 31 is its central portion 36 comprising a rigid length of extruded aluminum, having a constant cross-section, which runs the complete length of the top sheet 28. As most clearly seen in Figure 7, the cross-section of the central portion 36 comprises a top flange portion 37, a bottom flange portion 38 and a vertical web portion 39 linking the top flange 37 to the bottom flange 38.

The top flange 37 is substantially wider than the bottom flange 38. The top flange 37 comprises an outer wing 51 which extends from the web 39 towards the corresponding edge 45 of the panel 18, and an inner wing 52 which extends from the web 39 towards the centre of the panel 18.

Each outer wing 51 carries an upwardly extending return 41 which folds around to form a square-ended channel into which the corresponding edge 44 of the top sheet neatly fits. This provides the edge 45 of the panel 18 with protection against damage from knocks. The return 41 also provides an anchorage for clamps 60 as described below.

The top sheet 28 is attached to the wings 51 and 52 by threaded fasteners 32 which have wide flat thin heads 54 on the top sheet side and are threaded into the top flange 37.

All the portions of the longitudinal rails 30 and 31 have a wall thickness of about 3mm, so the termination 42 of the return portion 41 forms a step 43 about 3mm high which rises from the top face 46 of the top sheet about 15mm in from the edge 44 of the deck panel 45. This step 43 is utilized (as described below) in a preferred embodiment of the present invention to prevent rotation of clamps.

Each hook 34 and 35 is a component machined from aluminum plate material. At the end of each central portion 36 of the longitudinal rails the respective hook 34/35 is rigidly fastened by threaded fasteners 33 to the web portion 39 so it nests into the channel area 82 bounded by the top flange portion 37, web portion 39 and bottom flange portion 38 on one side of the web 39. The portion of each hook extending beyond the central portion 36 has the form of an inverted open channel which engages around the respective support rail 22 and whose steeply sloping faces 48 and 49 prevent significant fore and aft movement of the panel relative to the support rail 22.

At each end of each panel one hook 34 is fastened to the inside face 87 of the web 39 while the other hook 35 is fastened to the outside face 88 of web. This asymmetrical attachment arrangement allows two panels to be aligned end-to-end where they are supported by the same support rail 25.

In the embodiment shown in Figure 1 each of the panels 18-20 is clamped, by two identical clamps 60, to each neighbouring panel in its row. In alternative embodiments a single clamp could be used instead of two. The clamps 60 used are as shown in Figures 3 and 4. Each clamp grasps two panels preventing them from moving relative to each other. The clamps are installed oriented as shown in Figures 3 and 4, which is the preferred orientation. To assist clarity, the following description identifies upper and lower portions of the clamp assuming that preferred orientation. However, it is possible, though not preferred, to use the clamp inverted and for that situation the skilled addressee will be able to adjust the meaning accordingly.

The clamp 60 has a double-headed threaded shaft 61which holds captive two plates 62 and 63 which form bearing portions of the clamp 60. The shaft 61 and the upper head 65 are sourced as a hexagonal-headed MIO bolt. The lower head 66 is formed by attaching an MI0 hexagonal nut to the tail of the bolt. This is most conveniently achieved by welding the nut 66 to the shaft. Alternatively it can be achieved by distorting the shaft's thread near the tip of the bolt before running the nut onto the distorted thread to form a tight interference fit. Both heads 65 and 66 are therefore of the same nominal size so either can be turned by the same tool.

The plates 62 and 63 form the bearing portions of the clamp. The upper plate's bearing surface 91 and the lower plate's bearing surface 92 are the surfaces urged onto the panels. The upper plate 62 has anunthreaded hole 68 through which the shaft 61 passes in a loose fit. A washer 69 is fitted between the upper plate 62 and its adjacent head 65.

The lower plate 63 is a flat steel plate. It has a threaded hole 71 through which the shaft 61 is threadedly engaged. In the embodiment shown in Figures 3 and 4 the threaded hole 71 is produced by fastening an M10 nut 72 into a hexagonal hole punched in the plate. The lower plate 63 also includes a rectangular aperture 73 which forms a slot through the lower plate. The axis 75 of the threaded hole 71 is coplanar with the slot's axis 76 which is perpendicular to the lower plate. Both of those axes lie in a plane which bisects the lower plate 63.

The size of the upper plate 62 matches that of the lower plate 63. The position of the unthreaded hole 68 matches the position of the threaded hole 71. But instead of an additional rectangular hole, the plate 62 instead has an arm 78 which has a rectangular cross-section extending from the plate 62 down parallel to the shaft 61 so that the arm 78 passes through the slot 73.

The width of the rectangular cross section arm 78 is greater than its thickness. Its wide face 79 faces the shaft 61. The arm's width is 10.0mm, which is slightly greater than the 9.8mm major diameter of the Ml0 threaded shaft 61. This difference means that when the clamp 60 is installed in use, the side faces 80 of the arm 78 can be in contact with the edges 44 of adjacent panels 18/19 while still leaving clearance to allow the shaft 61 to rotate without the shaft touching the panels.

The width of the arm 78 is a loose sliding fit within the rectangular aperture 73 but its thickness is a sloppy fit within the aperture. This allows the lower plate 63 to slide up and down the arm 78 as the shaft 61 is rotated to tighten or loosen the clamp 60. Having the arm 78 inserted through the aperture 73 keeps the plates 62 and 63 aligned by preventing any rotation of the two plates relative to each other as the shaft 61 is rotated.

At the bottom of the arm 78 its tip is bent at 90 away from the threaded hole 71 to form a foot 81. In normal use of the clamp 60, if the clamp is opened so far that the bottom 83 of the lower plate 63 presses against the foot 81, this prevents the lower plate 63 being screwed too far down the shaft 61. Having the foot 81 also means that, in the case of an embodiment where the nut 66 is retained on the shaft 61 by an interference fit, if excessive force is used when unscrewing the clamp such that the nut is forced from its interference fit with the deformed thread on the shaft and the lower plate is thereby released from the shaft, then the lower plate 63 will swing down to be retained by the foot 81 instead of falling, perhaps dangerously, to a level below.

The upper plate 62 has shoulders 84 on two opposite edges. The shoulders curl down to form linear protrusions 85 which project a little less than 3mm lower than the main bearing surface 91 of the upper plate. In use each protrusion 85 overhangs the step 43 at the termination 42 of the return near the edge of a panel 18 to latch onto the step. The protrusions extend sufficiently to just touch the top sheet 28. The engagement between the protrusions 85 and the terminations 42 of the returns 41 prevents the panels sliding out of the tightened clamps.

The upper plate 62 is created from a blank of sheet steel in a single stamping operation which forms the hole 68, the arm 78, the shoulders 84 and protrusions 85.

When installing the decking assembly 10, a pair of adjacent deck panels 18, 19 are suspended from support rails 22 and the panels moved close together with a gap of 15 to 20 mm between them. Two clamps are then slid into and along the gap from an end of the panels, and the position of the panels adjusted to reduce the gap width and bring the opposing side faces 80 of the arms 78 into contact with the edges 44 of the panels. Working from above, the position of the upper plate 62 is adjusted to ensure the shoulders 82 overlap the terminations 42 and the protrusions engage the respective steps 43. The upper head 65 is then rotated by a suitable tool to tighten the clamp into its clamping position.

The clamp is preferably tightened from above so it is easier to confirm that the steps 43 have been properly engaged. However it may otherwise be tightened from below the decking assembly. When installed from above, with the clamp 60 in the preferred orientation, the head 65 is rotated clockwise to tighten and anticlockwise to loosen the clamp. But when installing from below, rotating the lower head 66 clockwise loosens the clamp and anticlockwise tightens it.

While the clamp can be installed upside down compared with the description above, that would create disadvantages. The protrusions 85 would have no steps to latch over. Also the head 66 would protrude much further upwards from the top face of the top sheet 28 and therefore create a tripping hazard.

While the above description includes the preferred embodiments of the invention, it is to be understood that many variations, alterations, modifications and/or additions may be introduced into the constructions and arrangements of parts previously described without departing from the essential features or the spirit or ambit of the invention.

For example, in alternative embodiments the rectangular slot 73 may be replaced by an aperture which has a side open to the closest edge of the lower plate. The advantage of being able to capture a falling lower plate could be lost however. Also the rectangular cross-sectioned armcould be replaced by an arm of different cross section or by other means for preventing rotation of the bearing plates relative to each other.

Also in alternative embodiments the hexagonal upper head 65 may be replaced by some other suitable head which is engageable by an appropriate tool. A socketed head may be used for this purpose.

It will be understood that where in this specification a decking assembly is described as covering a void gap, it is not intended to mean that a 100% filling of the void gap is necessarily achieved. Small gaps are permitted as provided for by the relevant safety regulations.

In this specification the word aperture is intended to include a hole with part of its side wall missing as well as a fully isolated hole or slot which has no part of its wall missing.

It will also be understood that where the word "comprise", and variations such as "comprises" and "comprising", are used in this specification, unless the context requires otherwise such use is intended to imply the inclusion of a stated feature or features but is not to be taken as excluding the presence of other feature or features.

The reference to any prior art in this specification is not, and should not be taken as, an acknowledgment or any form of suggestion that such prior art forms part of the common general knowledge.

Claims

1. A temporary decking assembly for covering at least a portion of a void gap in the flooring of a building under construction or renovation, said decking assembly comprising: a plurality of deck panels arranged side by side, each panel having an upper face, a lower face, and side faces; and one or more clamps, the, or each, clamp comprising: a first plate that is threadedly engageable with a shaft having an enlarged engageable head at one end of the shaft; a second plate having a hole through which the shaft passes loosely, the second plate being engaged with the shaft between the head and the first plate such that rotation of the shaft can serve to drive the first and second plates towards each other; and at least one arm that is rigidly attached to one of the first and second plates and extends in loose sliding engagement through at least one corresponding aperture in the other of the plates, wherein: the first and second plates bear on respective faces of adjacent panels to fasten the panels to each other.

2. The temporary decking assembly as claimed in claim 1, wherein the first plate has a hole that is threadedly engageable with the shaft.

3. The temporary decking assembly as claimed in claim 1 or 2, wherein the, or each, arm is dimensioned so that it bears against a side face of each of the two adjacent panels while maintaining a clearance between the side faces and the threaded shaft.

4. The temporary decking assembly as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein the panels include an edging, which wraps around their side faces, and nests into one of the plates.

5. The temporary decking assembly as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein each panel comprises a top sheet portion and at least one underlying side rail fastened to the top sheet portion.

6. The temporary decking assembly as claimed in claim 5, wherein the, or each, side rail includes a top flange portion, a bottom flange portion, and a vertical web portion linking the top flange portion to the bottom flange portion.

7. The temporary decking assembly as claimed in claim 6, wherein the top flange includes an outer wing that extends from the web towards a corresponding edge of the panel, and an inner wing that extends from the web towards the centre of the panel.

8. The temporary decking assembly as claimed in claim 7, wherein each outer wing carries an upwardly extending return that folds around to form a square-ended channel into which a corresponding edge of the panel fits, the return being configured to provide an anchorage for the, or each, clamp.

9. The temporary decking assembly as claimed in claim 8, wherein a termination of the return forms a step that rises from a face of the top sheet portion, one of the plates of the, or each, clamp defining opposed linear protrusions on respective opposite edges of the plate to overhang the steps of the adjacent panels that are fastened to each other, to inhibit the panels from sliding out of the, or each, tightened clamp.

10. The temporary decking assembly as claimed in any one of claims 5 to 9, which includes at least two support rails that span a width of the void gap to support the deck panels.

11. The temporary decking assembly as claimed in claim 10, wherein a hook is carried on each end of the side rails, the hooks protruding beyond the edges of the top sheet portion and being engageable with the support rails so that the panels can be supported on the support rails.

12. The temporary decking assembly as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein the, or each, clamp includes the threaded shaft.

13. A clamp for fastening adjacent edges of two deck panels to each other, the clamp comprising: a first plate threadedly engageable with a threaded shaft having an enlarged engageable head at one end of the shaft; a second plate having a hole through which the shaft can pass loosely, the second plate being engageable with the shaft between the head and the first plate such that rotation of the shaft can serve to drive the first and second plates towards each other; and at least one arm that is rigidly attached to one of the first and second plates and extends in loose sliding engagement through an aperture in the other of the plates.

14. The clamp as claimed in claim 13, wherein the, or each, arm is dimensioned so that it bears against a side face of each of the two adjacent panels while maintaining a clearance between the side faces and the threaded shaft.

15. The clamp as claimed in claim 13 or 14, which includes the threaded shaft.

16. A method of erecting a temporary decking assembly covering at least a portion of a void gap in the flooring of a building under construction or renovation, said method comprising: positioning two deck panels side by side with a gap between them, each panel having an upper face, a lower face, and side faces; from one side of the panels, positioning at least one clamp between the panels, the, or each, clamp comprising: a first plate threadedly engageable with a threaded shaft having an enlarged engageable head at one end of the shaft; a second plate having a hole through which the shaft can pass loosely, the second plate being engageable with the shaft between the head and the first plate such that rotation of the shaft can serve to drive the first and second plates towards each other; and an arm that is rigidly attached to one of the first and second plates and can extend in loose sliding engagement through an aperture in the other of the plates; and rotating the shaft to drive the plates towards each other so that they can bear on respective upper and lower faces of the two panels to fasten the panels to each other.

17. The method as claimed in claim 16, wherein positioning the, or each, clamp includes sliding the, or each, clamp into position along the gap from an end of the panels.