Types of workplace that utilise safety barriers

• Factories  
• Warehouses 
• Distribution centres 
• Airports 
• Car Parks 

Factory Safety Barriers

Factories are among the workplaces with the highest volumes of workplace vehicle traffic.  At any time, there can be multiple forklift trucks, pallet trucks and other materials handling vehicles moving around a facility. They do not operate in isolation, but alongside all the people working on site. This proximity means there is a high risk of impacts between vehicles and workers. Therefore, safety barriers are essential for segregating people from vehicle hazards and protecting them from accidental impacts.  

Warehouse Safety Barriers

What is true for factories is also the case for warehouses. At distribution and logistics facilities, the number of vehicles operating on site can be significant. They can include not only forklifts and reach trucks, but also heavy goods vehicles and vans. Furthermore, warehouses demand additional protection from vehicle impacts – specifically around warehouse racks and the high volumes of goods stored on them.  

Airport Safety Barriers

Many vehicles operate simultaneously on site at airports. From the aeroplanes themselves to the assortment of buses, baggage trucks and fuel tankers needed to support them. Therefore, effective safety barriers are as important on the airport apron as they are in essential baggage handling halls.

Car Park Safety Barriers

It will not come as a surprise that car parks see high volumes of daily vehicle traffic. This can not only pose a risk to pedestrians and parked cars, but also to infrastructure. Having the right protection is therefore essential. A large percentage of knocks and bumps that occur in car parks will be to walls, columns, corners and other vulnerable areas of the building or structure. Car park safety barriers and bollards installed in these areas will minimise the risk of collision damage.  

Which industries use safety barriers?

As previously discussed, any industry that uses site vehicles and other materials handling equipment would benefit from safety barriers to protect people, stock, machinery and infrastructure. These include: 

• Manufacturing 
• Automotive 
• Food and drink 
• Logistics and distribution 
• Car Parks 

Manufacturing

Safety barriers for the manufacturing industry are often heavy-duty and designed to cope with busy facilities and FLT traffic. Depending on factors such as impact risk, a combination of pedestrian and traffic barriers are usually used to segregate the workforce from vehicles and protect vulnerable machinery or infrastructure around a facility.  

Automotive

The use of safety barriers in the automotive industry is much the same as within manufacturing. The automotive industry relies heavily on automation with large assembly lines producing cars and vehicles at a constant rate. Therefore, safety barriers are essential for protecting not only the crucial and valuable production robots on the assembly line but the finished goods, which are also high value. Barriers can be used to designate clear routes through the site and diverting traffic and staff away from production areas, as any incidents that occur on a production line would disrupt its output.

Food and drink

Manufacturers of food and drink goods require the same types of facility protection as other manufacturers however, they also have additional requirements. Cold storage safety barriers are guardrails that work more effectively at lower temperatures unlike normal polymer and steel barriers which can become brittle. These barriers are important for freezer units and cold storage facilities that allow access to forklift trucks and other hand-operated materials handing machinery.  Safety barriers that are hygiene-sealed are incredibly important in these facilities as they limit the potential for bacteria and germs to spread.  

Logistics and distribution

Logistic and distribution companies often have two types of vehicle traffic in operation on site. The first is site traffic such as forklift trucks and other materials handling vehicles. The second is the suite of vehicles that come to collect goods and deliver them. Both present their own problems, such as damage to loading docks and dock doors, therefore it is essential that any distribution facility has safety barrier solutions for every eventuality.  

Car Parks

As we have already discussed, public and private car parks and parking lots require safety barriers to protect the building or structure itself, to reduce the need for maintenance or repair. Furthermore, safety barriers can help to minimise damage to vehicles in the event of an impact. 

Whatever your industry or workplace set-up, we can provide effect safety barrier protection for vulnerable areas of your site and vital stock and equipment. Our team are happy to pay you a visit and undertake a site survey to identify the correct safety systems for your needs.