A professional safety barrier system – what are its characteristics?
Any site where there is heavy machinery and vehicle traffic, with workers on foot in between, should not be without a professional safety barrier system. These are elements that protect the workers against both impacts and falls. Available in a variety of shapes and sizes, they can be tailored to meet the needs of any warehouse, industrial, manufacturing, logistics halls and many other locations.
The three most important features of good protection systems
Simple design
It does not have to be difficult to ensure the safety of workers and the goods produced or stored as well as the machinery owned. The key to success is precisely to choose protection systems with a relatively simple design. Such systems will fulfil their essential function and leave little room for error in the installation and replacement procedure. They also require far less time and energy for installation and replacement.
Combining strength with flexibility
Good industrial bump rails – although composed of few components – are characterised by above-average strength, resulting from the use of high-density material and a well-thought-out structure. At the same time, they are characterised by a high degree of flexibility. Thanks to this combination, the guardrail systems effectively absorb the energy of an impact, for example in contact with a forklift truck, but – by ‘bending’ to the pressure of the equipment – they do not damage it. The Kingspan Protection System achieves this effect using state-of-the-art FLEXsafe™ technology, based on high-performance, flexible synthetic polymers.
Fitting the protected area
Depending on which areas need protection from impact and damage, elements of a different shape, size and height are used.
- Industrial bump rails, which take the form of skirting boards, are used to protect corners and walls. In the Kingspan range, these are the KPS Trim bump rails. They are attached to the wall and floor with concealed connectors. Due to their very high strength and ability to secure the columns, they are ideal for all areas with traffic.
- Elements that essentially serve to delineate traffic routes and protect pedestrian workers from contact with speeding vehicles are KPS Rail – complex guardrail systems.
- Functional post bumpers are used to protect both indoor and outdoor areas, including corners and small walls. In Kingspan’s product range, they appear under the name KPS Posts. Made from robust polyethylene, they offer maximum shock resistance and, thanks to tinting – not just painting them – they have a high resistance to fading, even when exposed to intense UV radiation.
In every industrial, warehouse or commercial facility, we are confronted with internal and external doors and gates through which large and heavy vehicles and machinery move every day. Modern impact protection systems have been developed to protect them. The KPSGoalpost product features the aforementioned FLEXsafe™ technology and a robust fixing that fits a range of substrates, including sandwich panels and concrete.
In transition areas – for example corridors – KPS Barrier-S, KPS Barrier-D and KPS Barrier-Hare used. These are used to protect the walls and the objects along them. They are characterized by high shock resistance, a strong and secure anchorage, as well as height adjustment so that the bumper can be adapted to the vehicle level.
What else to look out for when choosing safety barriers?
Intense and long-lasting colours
Each element of a complex security system must be clearly visible, even from a distance. The use of yellow and black, and sometimes red, has therefore been widely adopted for all industrial bumpers. However, the colours are not always distinctive and durable. To give the products high fade resistance, the Kingspan Protection System uses a tinting technology, not just painting. It ensures that objects maintain their colour for many years, regardless of the degree of sunlight they are exposed to.
Food safety
When protection is required for a food processing plant or other facility having to do with the production or storage of food, it is very important that the bump rails selected are certified to be food-neutral. There are many points in the supply chain where food can become contaminated, which is why it is so important to implement safe food practices at every stage of the process – including the protection stage.
At Kingspan, we attach great importance to this. The protection systems we offer are therefore characterised by an improved design. Tinted rather than painted posts and bumpers do not peel over time and remain easy to clean. The material used in them provides high chemical resistance and has been meticulously tested for leakage of its chemicals into food. By guaranteeing the necessary protection against the formation of dents, cracks and scratches, it reduces the risk of microbial growth in unexpected places almost to zero.
Kingspan SafeDefence – the security your business needs
All the protective elements in the Kingspan range have been tested. These are certified and reliable products that protect people and materials from impacts from work equipment or vehicles. They are mainly used in logistics buildings, as well as in cold stores and warehouses. More and more customers are also choosing to incorporate them into industrial and storage facilities. With a wide availability of shapes and sizes, SafeDefence is a catalogue of bumpers where everyone can find what they need.
