Preventing pigeons at a busy Aldi distribution centre

NBC teams are often called to distribution centres that have problems with nuisance birds, their fouling and the resultant health and safety risk. Usually there will need to be a shutdown of the affected areas so our teams can complete a guano clean, area sanitisation and installation of suitable bird proofing. This means higher maintenance costs and lost business time.

By adopting a proactive approach NBC were able to help DSP Construction save Aldi future maintenance costs and time, something a busy retailer like Aldi can ill afford.

Project overview

Aldi have invested in a newly built state-of-the art regional distribution centre in Goldthorpe. As part of the construction NBC were engaged by DSP Construction Management to survey the area susceptible to ingress by nuisance birds. As the site was storing food products and housewares for distribution it was imperative to prevent damage and fouling to preserve the health and safety of staff on site, customers and sub-contractors.

A survey was completed and the area identified most at risk was the loading bay. Due to the construction of the canopy area it could be utilized by birds to roost, perch or nest as it offers excellent protection from the elements and security. If nuisance birds were to gain access to the canopy the accumulation of fouling in the loading bay represents a significant risk to Aldi.

Legislation & compliance

As a retailer of food and homewares Aldi will be required to meet stringent site safety and food safety regulations and will be subject to regular audits. As well as the bacteria from the bird fouling, any bird nests could have insects and mites. Another risk that could be spread to the internal areas of the building – on foot, crates or boxes.

Our solution 

Our experience (over 20 years) and the proactive and preventative approach to nuisance birds for this project meant that the solution was straight forward. After a thorough survey our recommendations were agreed and the solution included:

Installation of 50mm fire retardant netting beneath the loading bay canopy netting was the best solution as it covered a large area and allowed the sprinklers system to work unaffected. This could be installed above the loading bay lighting.
6 zipped sections were added to the netting to allow future maintenance access of the fire sprinkler system
Installation of bird point to the leading edges of the canopy. These spikes are blunted and will prevent birds alighting the leading edges.

This bird proofing installation enabled:

• Long term protection from nuisance pigeons & other birds
• Compliance with the BRC Global Standards
• Adherence to the Food Safety Act 1990
• Ensuring the suite safety of future staff and contractors of Aldi
• Cost savings in future maintenance and cleaning

You can find out more about bird proofing methods or talk your local NBC team to arrange survey by calling 0333 567 2020.

More about our bird proofing services

Read our useful article 'How To Deter Pigeons' for advice on how to avoid pigeon problems.