What are racking safety barriers?

They are steel structures formed around your racking in order to protect it from damage from forklifts and other machinery. The bars are attached to the sides, corners or even around your storage areas in order to take the impact of the collision if one was to occur.

By creating a protective boundary between vehicles and storage infrastructure, these barriers help absorb or deflect impact before it reaches critical parts of the racking. This can reduce the likelihood of structural damage, costly repairs and disruption to warehouse operations. The type of protection required will depend on the layout of your facility, the equipment used and the level of traffic around your storage areas.

The Health & Safety at Work Act 1974

The Health & Safety at Work Act 1974 establishes general duties for employers to protect the health, safety and welfare of employees and others who may be affected by their activities. In a warehouse environment, this includes taking appropriate steps to manage risks associated with vehicle movements, storage equipment and workplace operations.

Protective barriers can form part of a wider warehouse safety strategy by helping to reduce the risk of collisions between forklifts and racking structures. However, barriers alone are not enough to ensure a safe working environment. Employers should also consider suitable staff training, clearly marked vehicle routes, regular equipment inspections and appropriate risk assessments.

Damage to racking caused by forklifts can compromise the stability of the structure and potentially lead to falling goods or structural collapse. Identifying vulnerable areas and implementing suitable protective measures can therefore help businesses maintain safer working conditions and reduce the likelihood of avoidable incidents.

Benefits of safety barriers

Takes the impact

Forklift collisions can occur in busy warehouses, particularly where aisles are narrow, visibility is restricted or operators are manoeuvring around corners. Protective barriers help shield vulnerable racking components b absorbing or deflecting some of the force generated during an impact.

By installing these barriers, the majority of the impact from a collision can be absorbed by the barrier. Collisions are highly likely when manoeuvring forklifts within spaces that are hard to judge, especially when reversing. Thus, having safety barriers creates a component between a collision and the racking itself causing less damage to the racking and therefore less potential risk of injury.

Cost effective protection

Repairing or replacing damaged racking can be expensive, particularly when structural components need to be removed, stock relocated or sections of a warehouse temporarily taken out of use. Protective barriers provide an additional layer of defence in areas where accidental collisions are more likely to happen.

By helping to limit damage to vulnerable equipment, these systems can reduce unexpected maintenance costs and avoid some the the disruption associated with repairs. Investing in suitable protection can therefore offer long-term value, especially in facilities with frequent forklift movements. Regular inspections remain important to identify damage to both the barriers and the structures they protect.

What can we do?

At Teepee, we offer a range of protective solutions designed to help businesses safeguard their warehouse equipment and working areas. We can provide different types of guarding and barrier systems to suit your facility’s layout, operation requirements and potential impact risks.

  • Racking safety guarding.
  • Pedestrian barriers.
  • End of aisle racking barriers.
  • Upright protection guards.
  • Mezzanine floor stanchion guards.
  • Protection barriers for machines, offices and walls.

We offer a range of steel and impact resistant plastic barriers as well as a bespoke manufacturing service to meet your exact needs. Contact us today to find out more on racking protection barriers at Teepee.

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