4 Reasons You Need Safety Barriers in the Warehouse

As another year comes and goes, it’s time again to look at how your business can expand, improve and modernise going forward. This includes focussing on the safety requirements of your warehouse for the coming 12 months ahead. Recent technology can only help businesses thrive but there are some measures that are much more basic; ones that can have a similar desired effect on your safety. A good example of this is the installation of safety barriers.

Safety in the warehouse is under constant scrutiny, in order to maintain a consistent level of protection for all involved. But there’s always room for more. Aspects such as safety barriers have been an ever-present contribution towards warehouse health and safety, and they don’t escape modernisation either.

You may think a barrier is just a barrier, but you’d be wrong. Take a look below and see what safety barriers can do for your warehouse and how they can be more efficient!

Protect Your Assets!

Assets don’t just apply to your stock, your assets apply to everything within the warehouse. Your racking for example, is a pivotal part of a warehouse in order to keep things tidy, organised and efficient. The housekeeping of your storage equipment needs to be kept to a high standard and with the inclusion of a safety barrier, you can protect your racking from damage in the event of a collision.

Hundreds and thousands of pounds worth of equipment and stock is at risk should this not be the case. So the financial implications are enough to act on alone! Other aspects such as shutters, desks, break rooms and offices are also areas of your warehouse that could become a target for wayward vehicles. A safety barrier can comfortably protect these zones from harm.

The Importance of Presence

This is why it is important to have a safety barrier that is vibrant and easily visible. A safety barrier or safety bollards isn’t a safety feature that should be camouflaged within the warehouse, it should be there to clearly signify a potentially dangerous area. That’s why barriers with the same colour scheme as high-vis clothing is preferable, because of the same attributes that the protective clothing possesses. These colours will guarantee optimum visibility, even during the dark days of winter.

This can only work to benefit those within the warehouse. From pedestrian workers and forklift operators to delivery drivers and cleaners – everybody who steps foot inside your warehouse will be well shielded from potential danger.

Prevent Real Wheel Danger

One of the most hazardous aspects of a warehouse is the vehicular fleet. On a day-to-day basis, your forklift trucks and loaders are constantly on the move, manoeuvring around corners. The operators are also under stringent time constraints and this could lead to some questionable decision-making. If the worst-case scenario is to happen, the presence of a safety barrier would limit the distance an out-of-control vehicle could cover. This then protects the assets, as mentioned above, but also the driver.

Not only this, a clear route for drivers to follow will also radically reduce the likelihood of vehicle collisions. A safety barrier can further guide your drivers, allowing a safe area for them to operate within.

However, this isn’t always the case. If, per chance, you have traditional steel barriers in your workplace, they can actually cause more harm than good. The core material means that in the event of a collision, the vehicle isn’t protected enough and will soak up the majority of the shock generated from the impact. This can then lead to potential injury towards the driver.

Material over Muscle

With this in mind, it’s crucial that you review your barriers or racking protectors to see what material they are made from – if you have some already installed that is – and to make sure you’re in possession of the most effective model. After all, the last thing a business needs is disruption during any repairs or maintenance work, or for your staff to be off work due to picking up an injury. The knock-on effect of just one accident can lead to a long-winded process that can be avoided so easily.

Staff Need to Know

It’s not as easy as you think to keep the same level of concentration throughout an entire working day, so the odd slip of the mind is to be expected. When it comes to pedestrian staff, their awareness of their surroundings is pivotal in a warehouse. This is because a lack of concentration is all it really takes for a potential hazard to become an actual one.

From failure to spot an oncoming vehicle to failing to react to an emergency alarm, these events can occur more often than you think. Haphazard awareness ability can be diminished though, and a consistent level of perception can be achieved, through the presence of a bright safety barrier.

By installing bright indicators such as this, your staff will become more aware that they are in a potentially dangerous area. As a result, their senses heighten to accommodate the increased danger level. That way, if they are in the presence of an oncoming vehicle, or near dangerous machinery, they can habitually check their surroundings in order to keep themselves safe from harm.

Advertise Across the Board 

Every aspect of warehouse safety should be well covered and clearly explained within your company’s Health and Safety manual. Not just about dangers within the warehouse, but the more simple areas such as lifting and carrying procedures. These areas of Health and Safety come together to make any member of staff well aware and in the loop with policies that have been updated or altered.

So, should you decide to integrate some new mechanisms and techniques, it is important that you bring your workforce up to date, too. Don’t restrict the knowledge to those concerned, inform every member of staff within your business.

Time to Move with the Times?

If you already have a standard set of safety barriers installed, then you may feel this box has been ticked and you’re already covered. However, it may be time to move forward with the options you have available, as traditional steel barriers are vastly becoming less efficient in comparison to other modern options available. You may have a fireguard – but if it’s made of chocolate, what use is it to you? With this in mind, is your business due a barrier makeover?

Barrier replacements may sound complex and disruptive, but this couldn’t be further from the truth. Should you choose the best-suited material, your company won’t suffer any setbacks in productivity or efficiency, allowing you to take advantage of the benefits in no time whatsoever. Polymer safety barriers don’t just protect your business, they bring an array of benefits which, when you think long term, can prove to be a priceless investment.

What’s The Hype with Polymer Barriers?

The installation of a modular polymer barrier will bring to the table the core traits that a traditional barrier brings, but with the added benefit of reducing any possible damage overall. Firstly, by changing your barrier material, you can say goodbye to frequent barrier repairs and replacements, as a polymer barrier will disperse any generated shock energy amongst itself. This means you don’t have to spend more money on vehicle replacements either.

If you have had to replace a steel barrier recently, chances are you will have had to replace the floor space surrounding the barrier too. This is purely down to the way it’s installed and what a steel barrier does with the shock force in the event of a collision. With a polymer barrier, the seamless installation will mean not only can the floor be kept safe from damage, but the appearance of the barrier will not falter. This allows it to retain its shape and strength for a much longer period of time.

Although Impossible, Reduce the Possibility 

The dream of a risk-free workplace is one that will bubble away in many Health and Safety managers’ minds for years, as for now, it cannot be deemed a possibility. Unfortunately, it is extremely difficult to achieve this goal, however, you can help to lower the possibility of an accident taking place. Installing measures such as polymer safety barriers or warehouse safetybarriers, with the advice from above, will mean your business can go that extra mile to show you’re taking warehouse safety seriously – as you should be!

Where to Go To Achieve This

If you’re wondering where you can find more information about modular safety barriers and the benefits a polymer barrier can bring – companies such as Boplan can help. They expertise in safety in all kinds of working environments and will be able to give you their professional advice and the information you need. With years’ worth of experience, they hold the same ambitions as your business – they want to help you optimise your safety protocols to the best of your ability.