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What is an Impact Barrier? Enhancing Warehouse Safety and Protection

Impact barriers play an important role in maintaining a safe and efficient warehouse environment. But what exactly is an impact barrier, and how does it work?

The following sections will explore the types, benefits, and placement tips for impact barriers to help you create a safer, more productive warehouse. Whether you're a warehouse manager, safety supervisor, or business owner, understanding the importance of impact barriers is essential for ensuring the well-being of your employees and the success of your operations.

Definition and Purpose

An impact barrier is a protective structure designed to absorb and redistribute the force of collisions, preventing damage to personnel, equipment, and inventory. These barriers are typically made of durable materials like steel, plastic, or rubber, and are installed in strategic locations throughout the warehouse.

The guard rail can be used in a single layer around perimeters to protect building facilities, machinery, and equipment from ground-level damage. Additionally, the guard rail is ideal in two layers to provide extra protection for pallet racking and other areas that require enhanced safety measures.

The primary purpose of impact protection barriers is to:

  • Protect workers from accidents involving forklifts, pallet jacks, and other machinery
  • Safeguard expensive equipment and inventory from damage
  • Minimize downtime and repair costs associated with collisions
  • Define routes and spaces, guiding vehicles to prevent impacts and accidents

Worried about forklift accidents in your warehouse? Read about safety bollards to learn more.

 

Types of Impact Barriers

Impact barriers come in various configurations to suit different warehouse needs, offering protection against light and heavy-duty impacts at various heights. Choosing the right type of barrier is essential for ensuring optimal safety and efficiency in your warehouse.

Consider these types:

  1. Impact Barrier: Ideal for ground-level impact protection, these barriers are perfect for segregating lightweight vehicles and preventing minor collisions.
  2. Double Impact Barrier: Double impact barriers are your go-to solution when you need heavy-duty protection from high-level impacts. They are one of the strongest impact configurations available.
  3. Impact High Barrier: These barriers provide high-level impact protection and are suitable for segregating lightweight vehicles in elevated areas.
  4. Double Impact Low Barrier: Double impact low barriers are an excellent choice for heavy-duty, ground-level impact protection. They offer one of the strongest impact configurations for low-level applications.
  5. Impact High with Floor Barrier: Combines Impact High and Floor Barrier benefits, providing pallet racking end-frame protection and perimeter security. Engineered to absorb impacts from vehicle forks, AMRs, AGVs, and other low-height hazards.

Ready to find the perfect machine guards for your facility? Explore different machine guard types here.

 

Benefits of Impact Barriers in Warehouses

Implementing impact barriers in your warehouse offers numerous benefits, including:

  • Increased Safety: By absorbing the force of collisions, impact barriers create a safer working environment for your employees, reducing the risk of injuries and accidents.
  • Asset Protection: Impact barriers safeguard your valuable warehouse equipment and inventory from damage, helping you avoid costly repairs and replacements. This protection ultimately minimizes the occurrence of damaged products, which can negatively impact your bottom line.
  • Improved Warehouse Efficiency: With fewer accidents and less downtime, your warehouse operations can run more smoothly and efficiently.
  • Compliance: Installing impact barriers demonstrates your commitment to safety and helps you comply with industry regulations and standards.

 

Placement Tips for Impact Barriers

Consider the following tips when placing safety barriers in your warehouse:

  1. High-Traffic Areas: Install impact barriers in areas with heavy foot and vehicle traffic, such as intersections, blind corners, and loading docks. This is particularly important for industries served by warehouses, like manufacturing, distribution, and logistics.
  2. Critical Assets: Place barriers from our impact barrier range around expensive equipment, fragile inventory, and other critical assets to prevent damage from collisions.
  3. Sight Lines: Ensure that safety barriers do not obstruct visibility for forklift operators and other workers to prevent accidents.
  4. Maneuvering Space: Allow sufficient space for vehicles to maneuver safely and efficiently when placing impact barriers.
  5. Define Routes: Clearly define routes and spaces within your warehouse using safety barriers to guide vehicles and minimize the risk of impacts and accidents.

Use an impact barrier when you need to protect personnel, equipment, and inventory from potential collisions in areas with high traffic or valuable assets. Strategic placement of impact barriers from our extensive range creates a safer, more organized work environment that caters to the specific needs of the industries served by your facility.

For more guidance, check out our comprehensive guide on when to use an impact barrier to ensure optimal safety and efficiency in your warehouse. 

Are you confident your machine guards are fully compliant? Discover tips for ensuring machine guarding safety.

 

Axelent: Your Partner in Impact Barrier Solutions

Since 1990, Axelent has been dedicated to providing top-quality safety solutions for industries worldwide. As a Swedish company with extensive experience in manufacturing protection and partitioning systems, we understand the importance of impact barriers in creating a safe and efficient working environment.

Our X-Protect range offers a comprehensive selection of impact barriers, bollards, column guards, pedestrian barriers, and more. With a focus on modularity, our unique approach allows for easy installation, customization, and replacement of components. Axelent's commitment to speed, safety, service, and smart solutions sets us apart. We provide quick quotes, design projects using stock materials for fast delivery, and offer exceptional customer service.

Contact us today to discover how Axelent's impact barrier solutions can enhance safety and efficiency in your facility.

 

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