The humble guardrail is the one piece of safety equipment that tends to go under the radar yet also happens to have the most impact in enduring safety throughout a range of venues. You likely walk by an example of one every day in some capacity and probably walked right by a rail on your way to and at work without even giving it a second glance.
For the public and those working in environments that warrant the use of these devices, you don’t really need to give them much thought. But for business owners and those managing specific venues, more thought goes into them than you might think. From choosing the right options to ensure compliance with health and safety regulations to considering which materials will last the course regarding weather and how they’re handled, there is a bit more involved in the process of selecting the correct options.
Understand Their Intended Purpose
Before you can even consider heading out and spending a small fortune on hundreds of barriers, it’s not only prudent but imperative that you take the time to consider what you need them for. Because there are numerous different options when it comes to guardrails, you run the risk of purchasing the wrong type for your needs.
This is actually worse than simply spending money on an incorrect product, but it could actually cause you issues with health and safety requirements that might demand a very specific set of rails for the intended use (but we’ll get to that point later). In some cases, this might include discussing your needs with multiple stakeholders, including your safety manager and possibly even your legal team, if you really want to take a belt and braces approach and avoid even the slightest possibility of litigation down the line.
Evaluate The Unique Safety Requirements For Your Particular Location And Application
As we just alluded to, some locations and applications will involve a particular set of safety requirements that you must adhere to if you want to remain compliant with the law, which you definitely do! How you go about this process will vary as every industry will have differing laws, and even within the sectors themselves, it can be further broken down into separate needs. For example, a construction site will need vastly different barriers to perhaps a nightclub.
The former might require temporary barriers to keep pedestrians out of a building site and cordon off dangerous areas, while the latter might need something more permanent but for the purpose of crowd control. You can find the various legal requirements by consulting with your legal counsel or contacting your local municipality and asking them directly what’s required for your purposes.
Consider Material Durability And Strength
You might notice a running theme that emerges throughout this post: the rails you choose will be highly dependent on their use case. A highway-rail will obviously need to have characteristics that are different from those that are mainly intended to direct the flow of foot traffic, etc. However, the thing that perhaps connects the many disparate uses is that whatever you choose, they really ought to be durable enough to last for years without needing to be replaced.
For a business, any outgoing is an expense that they would rather keep in their bank balance and put towards increasing business, but if you choose barriers made from inferior materials, you could end up having to replace them far more often than you’d hoped. While quality will ultimately cost more money, the longer they last, the lower the cost diminishes over time. If you opt for low-quality barriers, you will find that your initial spending is lower, but it will add up from the need to constantly replace them. In the end, you will need to perform a cost-benefit analysis to figure out which direction works best for you.Â
Research The Ease Of Installation And Ongoing Maintenance
When you’re dealing with a large number of employees, the last thing on your mind is giving yourself the additional task of racing them how to operate a highly complex set of barriers. You want anyone to take them out of the truck and have them set up quickly and without any issues that will cause your lifespan to shorten significantly.
Now, some rails will be of a high-tech variety and include the need to train those who will operate them to set them up as intended, but this is probably going to be the exception to the rule for most. Outside of the setup, it’s a good idea to check what kind of maniacs are required to keep them operational. This might involve a basic wash from a pressure washer or something more involved, but as long as you know how to look after them, you should find they will last longer.Â
Consider How Environmental Factors May Impact Longevity
Different materials interact differently with the environment, and when you pay attention to the kind of environment you’ll place the rails in, you should gain insight into which option will work best. If you’re operating a construction site, then your rails will need to be brightly colored and made from increasingly durable material. They will also need to be able to withstand repeated impacts and the dust and debris that are typically associated with this domain. Conversely, if you only need a barrier to control footfall inside a shopping center, they won’t need to be as durable but will require another set of specifications relevant to that location (perhaps being lightweight to avoid injuring the public if they fall, etc).
Investigate Customization Possibilities To Meet Your Specific Safety Or Aesthetic Needs
Not all barriers need to conform to various legislation regarding style, and in some instances, choosing a rail system might include opting for those that allow you to customize them with designs and possibly even advertising. Again, this will come down to what is required in terms of the law, but if you don’t need to be quite so strict, you can have some fun with the styles and search for barrier designs that best match the aesthetic of your business.
A guardrail may appear to be a basic piece of plastic or metal that is used to block specific things, but the reality is much more complex. By using the ideas in this post, you should gain a better appreciation of what’s involved in the section process and end up with barriers that meet your needs.
