We’re lifting the lid on the subject of safety barriers, and vital factors that can’t be overlooked. Not least because incorrectly engineered or placed barriers can be more dangerous than not having any at all.
Strategically-placed barriers without a doubt go a long way to reducing the number of accidents around your building. They are vital in warehouses and logistics businesses, and on construction sites, or anywhere else that vehicles and people operate closely together.
This is an issue you can never be complacent about
The wrong kind of barriers – or incorrectly installed or outdated ones – can leave you badly exposed to serious incidents. Putting staff, visitors, vehicles and the fabric of your building at risk.
Failure to map out the best places for safety barriers can also cause business interruption, costly repairs, heavy fines and a serious (if not permanent) dent in your company’s reputation.
Safety barriers on private property
If this makes you doubt the reasons for installing safety barriers in and around your premises, then please be assured they do serve a vital purpose. In fact, if you own a commercial site where vehicles operate, you have a regulatory and ethical duty to install suitable safety measures. Including methods of segregating pedestrians and forklift trucks, for instance.
The focus needs to be on getting your specifications right, buying quality products and installing well-designed barriers correctly.
What to look for in reliable safety barriers
First and foremost, you need a supplier able to prove the integrity and impact-values of the safety barriers you buy. This is one time when the cheapest is not necessarily best. Something that looks the part, can prove to be entirely cosmetic and a risk mitigation failure.
There are even cases of companies buying highly visible lightweight products to alert drivers to danger, missing one of the most important purposes of these products. The best kind of barrier is a warning but also offers shock absorbency, minimising the damage caused by impact.
And you don’t need to pay high prices for outstanding safety barriers that that are both highly visible and durable. Brandsafe keeps prices highly competitive, while still offering safety products that are thoroughly tested and verified.
All of our safety barriers are tested to withstand the force of maximum capacity vehicles, travelling at maximum speed.
There’s a snapshot of some of the impact testing work we do on our website, as we put our reputation on the line with every safety product we endorse and sell.
Watch our impact testing video
Also, if you are going to invest in robust traffic management solutions, your safety barriers and bollards need to be low maintenance, built to last and fixed down properly. (Unless you want a versatile demountable safety barrier than you can relocate as risk factors change.)
Finding the best safety barriers for your site
If you have a workplace where vehicles operate, the best safety solution has to be versatile enough to adapt to your layout. That includes safety barriers and guardrails that can be installed quickly, but which create an authentic obstacle.
For example, our Pedestrian Safety Barriers (SEG+) are engineered from an advanced polymer and strong steel boots. The range includes corner, end and mid posts, post centres, demountable options and Sprung Return Gates. So, instead of working around a prefabricated safety barrier, you simply create your own pedestrian segregation solution. One that keeps your traffic flowing uninterrupted, but with the assurance of sound risk management.
We also sell heavy duty Guardrail Systems (MHE / PIT), with de-stacker extensions. You can build up to around 3000mm high, making this a great way to separate vehicles and pedestrians in places where tall pallets or equipment create a restricted view.
These are just two examples of Brandsafe products that you can depend on.
Putting traffic control in safe hands
Location is fundamental to the value of having safety barriers installed. They also need to be an unmissable warning system and a genuine layer of protection between vehicles and people. Impact absorption capacity matters far more than appearance, though the best-made safety barriers look reassuring strong and effective.
If you are ready to pin down locations for safety barriers and your product requirements, give us a call.
