Chapter 5.2
Impact protection
Traffic has always been a source of risk for people and sensitive equipment. That is true not only outside on the street but also inside production and storage facilities.
Pedestrian and impact barriers
People are hit, crushed or even run over by industrial trucks, often with serious injury or death as the consequence.
In one European country alone 34051 accidents with industrial trucks and material transport carriages occurred in 2021. 15 people were killed, and 475 persons injured serious enough to become accident pensioners. The enormous number of accidents is a good reason to look at your facilities and check what can be done to reduce risk. In some countries taking measures to prevent on-site traffic accidents are required by law
What you can do to improve on-site traffic safety:
- Prepare floor layouts clearly indicating current traffic routes, workplaces, and pedestrian walkways.
- Separate traffic routes and pedestrian areas wherever possible.
- Check the on-site walkways, observe current traffic, and assess the risk.
- Take risk reduction measures suitable for the individual situation and degree of risk.
- Prefer technical solutions over mere organisational measures and instruction.
What is...
... a pedestrian barrier?
- A rail or fence preventing people from walking unintentionally into the path of a vehicle.
- A pedestrian barrier may serve as impact barrier at the same time.
- A pedestrian barrier cannot guarantee there will be no accidents because people may deliberately sidestep it.
... an impact barrier?
- A strong protective post or bar that is meant to reduce the likelihood of a vehicle driving off a fixed traffic lane/area and causing damage. Impact barriers may be spot-type and come as individual bollards. Or they may be continuous-type, consisting of at least two bollards with one or more rails in between.
- Impact barriers may be spot-type and come as individual bollards. Or they may be continuous-type, consisting of at least two bollards with one or more rails in between.
- An impact barrier may serve as a pedestrian barrier at the same time.
- An impact barrier cannot guarantee there won’t be an accident or some damage.
Pedestrian barriers
Often companies simply settle with floor marking to separate truck traffic and pedestrians.
But such measures frequently fail because people simply ignore the markings.
Better: Install pedestrian barriers that physically separate people from vehicles.
Where to install pedestrian barriers?
- Where there is a lack of space between parallel walkways and traffic lanes.
- High traffic areas, crossings, areas with impaired vision of traffic lanes.
- Doors opening toward a traffic lane. (Be sure not to place a crossing in the direct walking line of a door.)
- Either side of wall openings and automatic gates for truck passage. (Additionally, provide a door for pedestrians next to the truck passage/gate.)
- Workplaces near traffic lanes.
- ...
Impact barriers
Industrial trucks and other vehicles may also hit costly equipment and installations.
Imagine an industrial truck crashing into a compressor station, control cabinet, or pallet rack. Damage, collapse and serious consequential accidents may be the results. Impact protection will help avoid dramatic cost and downtime.
Where to place impact protection:
- Face ends of racks
- Around the uprights of racks
- Around pillars that support ceilings, mezzanine floors or machinery and equipment
- At the entry points of truck aisles
- Around sensitive equipment near traffic routes
- Around workplaces near traffic routes
- At the bottom end of slopes and ramps leading onto traffic lanes or workplaces
- In front of glass walls and around office booths on the shop floor
- Along the perimeter of walls near traffic lanes
- ….
How industrial barrier help ensure safe traffic