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Warehouse barriers can be crucial to protecting workers, goods, and equipment, especially where heavy vehicles circulate.
Depending on your needs, there are many different types of warehouse safety barriers that can be installed, and five of the most used ones are highlighted below.
SEE ALSO: Industrial warehousing: how goods should be organized
At Serviap Logistics, we help our partners optimize their warehouse operations by providing and installing features such as racking, signage, labels, and floor marking, as well as warehouse barriers.
We also offer project management services, overseeing refits, relocations, and warehouse setups.
Contact us today to find out more.
Warehouse barriers: 5 options to consider installing
If you are opening, refurbishing, or relocating your warehouse operations, you will likely be considering which warehouse safety barriers to install.
1) Guard rails
Guard rails are usually metal dividers used in warehouses to separate areas in order to limit the opportunity for people to mingle in the same areas as vehicles and machinery, thereby preventing accidents and protecting goods.
There are various types of guard rails to consider when deciding which warehouse barriers to install.
Heavy duty guard rails
As the name suggests, heavy duty guard rails are built to withstand significant impact and are particularly important in warehouses where there is a significant flow of vehicles and equipment.
Heavy duty guard rails will obviously tend to be more expensive, because of the quality and quantity of materials used to make them, however that cost is offset by the security they provide.
Medium strength guardrails
Medium strength guard rails also serve to keep people and goods protected, but are most appropriate where the chances of a collision or the flow of heavy vehicles is lower.
While medium strength guard rails obviously offer less protection than heavy duty ones, they are still robust warehouse safety barriers capable of withstanding considerable impacts.
Flexible barriers
Flexible warehouse barriers are malleable and capable of cushioning a certain amount of impact before returning to their original shape.
These are particularly useful where there is a particularly high chance of impact from vehicles and equipment.
2) Bollards
A bollard is a short post that serves as a safety barrier in a warehouse by preventing or restricting access to certain areas.
They are also often used to protect doorways and supporting beams from heavy impacts, with a variety of bollards available.
Buried bollards
A buried bollard is a heavy bollard (usually made of stone or metal) that is sunk into the ground to provide a high degree of impact protection.
While buried bollards tend to be the most hard-wearing, they are also the most permanent, so it is important to make sure that you place them wisely when organizing your warehouse safety barriers.
Bolt-on bollards
Bolt-on bollards are bollards that attach to a solid base on the ground. They provide a high degree of protection, and come with the additional advantage of being easily moved or removed as needed.
For additional visibility, bolt-on bollards will often be painted in bright colors, which can be particularly important if they are only used at certain times.
Flexible bollards
Flexible bollards are made or coated with material that will cushion impacts and return to its previous form, such as high density foam.
Spring loading bollards, which can withstand being run over before returning to their previous position, are also an option in areas where impacts are likely, in order to minimize damage to vehicles.
3) Column protectors
Column protectors are placed around the columns and resist the impact of a forklift or machinery collision. Their use prevents possible damage to your facilities, saving you time and money on maintenance.
It is important to think of the protection of retaining walls and columns as a priority in the warehouse. For these structures we also have different protection equipment that can reduce the damage of an impact. There are several types of materials and shapes to consider for their protection. However, we can distinguish between hard and flexible materials. The choice of one or the other depends on the needs of each store. The advantage in both cases is that they increase the visibility of the column and therefore its protection.
4) Retractable warehouse barriers
A retractable barrier is a temporary divider that can be used whenever needed. Usually, a retractable barrier will be a length of strong material that can be clipped into place to separate off or divide an area.
These are commonly used when an aisle or other area needs to be cordoned off to prevent people and vehicles from being in close proximity.
In general, retractable barriers will be brightly colored or used in conjunction with signage because they offer little in the way of impact protection and only serve to show people that an area is divided off.
5) Safety gates
Safety gates are warehouse barriers used to provide access to an area whenever needed, but to otherwise keep access restricted. They are commonly used to prevent access to loading bays whenever not in use, or to control the flow of people and vehicles to prevent accidents.
As such, they can be critical warehouse safety barriers for any operation that involves large amounts of goods arriving and leaving, or where there is high foot and vehicle traffic.
Safety gates can be automated to open and close to give priority to one or another kind of traffic, and they can come in different forms.
Among those are swing rail gates, which open outwards, and straight rail gates, which are raised and closed.
Serviap Logistics provides and installs warehouse safety barriers
At Serviap Logistics, we provide and install warehouse safety barriers to help our clients bring the greatest levels of safety and organization to their facilities.
Warehouse barriers are just one of a range of features that we offer, along with racking, signage, labels, floor marking, and other collision protection. For warehouse setup, refits, and relocations, we also offer project management.
We have a presence in Brazil, Mexico, and the United States, and we count some of the world’s biggest companies among our satisfied clients and partners. Our clients come from a wide range of sectors, including automotive, e-commerce, and wholesale, among others.
We are committed to service excellence and adhere to the highest safety standards wherever we work, including being OSHA certified in the United States.
If you want to have warehouse operations you can be proud of, contact us today to find out more about how we can assist you.
