So the question you might have is ‘What is better, Polymer or Steel safety barriers, and can plastic safety barriers really match metal structures in protecting against forklift truck collisions?’ With the right materials, design and technology, yes, they can. What’s more, their flexible solutions offer important advantages over traditional solid defences.
Metal CONSTRUCTIONS ongoing costs
Although undoubtedly effective, metal has side effects that need considering when weighing up the long-term costs of different warehouse safety barrier options. These include:
- The way metal reflects and transmits impact forces. Relatively inflexible, metal crash barriers direct much of the collision shock straight back into the colliding vehicle and in most cases, this will result in substantial damage. A forklift may suffer some damage, but due to its more robust nature, it is more likely to pass the shock on to its driver and load. This could lead to a whiplash injury or a heavy fall for the driver, and damage to goods thrown from the forks.
- How force is transmitted through the barrier and into the floor. In the heaviest collisions, that force is enough to break the concrete – which is expensive to repair. Less serious incidents may just dent or bend the metal; due to replacement costs, so bent and twisted but still, functional-metal is sometimes left unrepaired.
Metal barriers don’t keep their looks. Neat and tidy when new; but scratched and worn paint, rust and accident damage soon spoil the safety barriers. Therefore, regular spending will be needed to maintain them.
Plastic’s flexible benefits
The best plastic safety barriers are designed to absorb and dissipate shocks. Absorption is achieved partly through plastic materials that deform temporarily under impact and then return to their original shape. They also have additional components which flex or cushion in response to impacts. Meanwhile, their whole system works together to disperse impact energy harmlessly over large areas.
Vehicles, drivers, goods, and floors escape damage, and so do the plastic safety barriers, provided the right specification is chosen. There is no need to paint or repaint, and no rusting. What’s more, they are comparatively easy to relocate if premises are restructured.
Warehouse Safety Solutions offers an extensive choice of flexible plastic safety barriers meeting all needs. Key categories include crash barriers, handrails, bollards and racking protection.
All of them, match metal in strength but are flexible, and designed to absorb shocks and dissipate them through the body of the barrier.
Although some plastic safety barrier systems may be higher-priced than their metal counterparts, warehouse operators must always think in terms of total cost of ownership for warehouse safety. When adding up the costs of metal barrier and concrete floor replacement or repair after each accident, plastic becomes more economical. You should also look at how much routine maintenance metal systems will need. Then factor in the damage and injury that metal barriers may do to forklifts, goods and drivers, and the time lost as a result.
D-flexx barries take these needs into account. Flexible impact protection offers uncompromising protection of expensive production and filling equipment, control panels and internal driveways. D-flexx is fully dyed, it does not have a paint finish that flakes off due to collision damage and separates from the product.
Another bonus
The d-flexx products are chemically resistant and very easy to clean with common cleaning agents. Due to the self-contained system there are also no hiding places for pests. Keep your working environment clean – with d-flexx!