Warehouse managers constantly ask: How can I improve safety without impacting productivity? The answer often lies in adequate physical infrastructure.
With forklifts buzzing around, pallets stacked high, and people constantly moving, it’s a recipe for disaster if you’re not careful. Yes, you need a targeted safety plan first, detailing actions to keep people and forklifts away from each other. The next step is installing physical controls to make that possible.
This article directly addresses your concerns about warehouse safety by exploring the critical role of safety barriers. We’ll delve into different types of fixed barriers, highlighting their benefits and ideal applications to protect your workforce, prevent costly accidents, and maintain operational efficiency.
When things go wrong
Let’s start with some numbers: There were 226,000 work-related injury claims made to the Accident Compensation Commission (ACC) in 2023. Of these, the manufacturing and construction industries had the highest incidence rate of work-related claims (almost double the average).
It makes you wonder, could some of these accidents have been prevented? (More on identifying hazards and managing risks here).
Was it a failure in systems, procedures or human judgment? And what can be done so it doesn’t happen again?
Let’s look at how installing barriers in the workplace is one way to prevent harm.
Where to Use Barriers
You don’t need to put barriers everywhere. By focusing on the areas where there is the greatest risk (to people and equipment) you can balance safety with operational efficiency. These areas will benefit most from barriers:
- High-traffic zones: Areas where forklifts, trucks, or other moving equipment frequently operate.
- Walkway separation: Provide a safe, separated walkway for people and protect them from forklifts and moving vehicles or machinery.
- Workstations near traffic: Protect workers whose backs are to moving equipment.
- Loading docks: Prevent incidents during loading and unloading operations.
- Around dangerous goods storage: Protect vulnerable or hazardous materials.
- Near robots and automated equipment: Prevent collisions and downtime.
Why Warehouse Safety Barriers Solve an Overlooked Risk
Simply put, warehouse safety barriers create a physical separation between people and potential hazards like moving equipment. They’re designed to prevent collisions and injuries or death. They work as a crucial safety net in a busy warehouse environment, helping to protect people and assets from forklifts, trucks, and other moving equipment. Fewer incidents mean less downtime due to injuries or equipment damage.
Putting warehouse barriers in place, where hazards are identified, is one way you can prevent things from going wrong in the first place so that no harm or damage occurs.
Types of Fixed Barriers: Steel vs. Flexible
Here we compare two main options for warehouse barriers: steel and flexible (typically made from polyethylene) to help you understand their differences. (For a more detailed comparison check out this article on steel vs flexible barriers).
Steel Barriers
These are sturdy, relatively inexpensive, and offer a good level of protection. However, they don’t absorb impacts well, meaning a collision could damage the barrier and whatever hits it, like a car or forklift leading to increased maintenance costs. Think of them as a strong, but unforgiving, shield.
Steel is great for situations where cost is a major factor and ideal for areas where the risk of impact is lower.
Image: double steel barrier with gates protecting pedestrians from vehicles
Flexible Barriers
These are initially more expensive, but they offer superior impact absorption. If a forklift hits a flexible barrier, the barrier is designed to absorb the impact and spring back to its original shape, preventing damage to the barrier. This also helps prevent costly ground damage such as blown out concrete that typically occurs with rigid steel barriers. It will also help protect the forklift and operator.
They are a safer, more forgiving option, and especially useful in refrigerated environments where damage to concrete foundations from a steel barrier collision could require costly repair work.
Their low maintenance, corrosion, chemical and UV resistance makes them a cost-effective option.
They are most suited for environments with a high volume of vehicle traffic where regular impacts are likely, or where damage to surrounding infrastructure is expensive to repair.
Keen to read a case study? Check out Seeka’s experience of replacing steel with flexible barriers in their warehouse.
When fixed barriers aren’t an option
Fixed steel or flexible barriers aren’t always practical or required due to site layout or operational needs. Some alternatives to define safe areas are portable exclusion zones, Strongwall barriers and rubber traffic separators.
Importance of Regular Inspections and Maintenance
Once you’ve invested in barriers in your workplace it’s important to keep them functional with regular inspections and maintenance. A damaged or worn-out barrier will not work when or how it needs to. Establish a routine inspection and maintenance schedule and check for any:
- Damage to the barrier itself.
- Loose bolts or connections.
- Deterioration of the materials.
- Obstacles in front of the barrier reduce its effectiveness – high stacked goods could topple over into the protected area
By regularly checking your barriers, you help ensure their effectiveness and your team’s safety.
Do you need barriers in your warehouse?
Implementing a comprehensive barrier system is an investment in your workforce’s safety and your company’s success. While the initial cost of setting up a barrier system might seem like an overhead, it’s considerably less than the cost of workplace incidents, the intangible damage to company reputation and employee morale, and lost production time.
We’ve helped hundreds of companies just like yours to plan and implement a safe and efficient barrier system. Get in touch to arrange a comprehensive site assessment and quote/financial estimate.
