Warehouse Safety Barriers

Warehouse Safety Barriers: Rack, Column, Pipe and Corner Protectors

Warehouse safety barriers are hi-vis steel protectors that stand in front of one vulnerable point and take the knock from a forklift before your racking, columns, wall corners, pipes or services do. Ours are hot dip galvanised steel, powder coated RAL 1021 rape seed yellow, built from 48.3mm tube with a 3.2mm wall, and they bolt down to the floor. They suit warehouses, factories, public buildings and office blocks, indoors or out.

This page is the buying guide for point protection: which protector goes where, in which height and footprint. Every size is quoted within one hour in working hours, with next-day delivery on stock orders. For a full site, from crash barriers to gates, start at warehouse protection.

The Range: Sizes and Footprints

All six protectors are made from 48.3mm OD tube with a 3.2mm wall. Footprints are external dimensions from the product listings.

Rack Shield and Track Shield Guards

Three more guards protect the parts of racking and doors that forklifts catch most.

Both Rack Shield guards protect pallet racking from passing vehicles and are easy to fit and to replace. A damaged door track can jam a door open or shut. The Track Shield guard protects it against front and side impact without getting in the way of the door.

How Point Protection Works

A point protector is a single, self-contained guard. It is not a run of barrier, so you place it exactly where the hits happen and nowhere else. That keeps the job simple and keeps the cost of repairs down, because the protector takes the impact instead of the racking or the building.

The yellow finish is part of the protection. A protector that drivers and pedestrians see from a distance helps prevent the collision in the first place. If a knock still happens, the steel is there to take it.

Where you need to keep vehicles off a whole wall, door line or route, a point protector is the wrong product. That is a job for a continuous run of Armco crash barriers.

How to Choose the Right Protector

1. Start with what gets hit

• End of a racking bay: racking protection barrier, or a Rack Shield end guard set to wrap the corners.
• Uprights in the middle of a rack: Rack Shield upright protector.
• Columns, girders and building structure: structural protection barrier, often called a column guard.
• Pipe runs: pipe protection barrier.
• Services and exposed pipework: service protection barrier.
• Posts and other narrow uprights: vertical protection barrier.
• Building corners: corner protector.
• Rolling door tracks: Track Shield door guard.

2. Match the height to the risk

Choose a height that covers the part of the upright a vehicle or its load could reach. The range runs from 500mm to 1500mm, and most protectors come in two or three heights. Tell us which vehicles work on site and what they carry, and we will advise on the product.

3. Check the footprint fits

Each protector needs floor space in front of the point it guards. Structural, service and corner protectors take a 500mm x 500mm footprint, pipe and vertical barriers 300mm x 300mm, and racking barriers are 750mm wide. Check that space against your aisle and route widths before you order.

Where to Place Protectors

The Fisher Alvin range of warehouse protectors has been designed and tested in accordance with BS EN 15512:2009. The standard states that an upright protector should be positioned at the end of each run of racking between cross-aisles, and at uprights positioned at aisle and gangway intersections. Those are the first places to protect when you plan a layout.

After that, walk the site and list every point that has been hit or could be. In most warehouses the same places come up:

• Rack ends and uprights at aisle and gangway intersections.
• Columns and wall corners in loading and turning areas.
• Pipe runs and services beside vehicle routes, including plant rooms.
• Rolling doors where forklifts pass through.

Points that already show damage are the first priority. Read forklift impact protection: where racking, columns and corners need guarding for a worked site walk.

Materials and Finish

The six hi-vis protectors are hot dip galvanised steel, then powder coated RAL 1021 rape seed yellow. The galvanising resists corrosion inside and out, and the yellow makes each protector stand out to drivers and pedestrians. They are made from 48.3mm OD tube with a 3.2mm wall, and every one bolts down to the floor.

Where Warehouse Safety Barriers Are Used

• Racking aisles. Rack ends and uprights at aisle and gangway intersections.
• Loading and turning areas. Columns and wall corners where vehicles turn.
• Plant rooms and service runs. Pipes and services beside vehicle routes.
• Logistics depots, factories, public buildings and offices. Anywhere vehicles or machinery work near structure, indoors or out.

Protectors guard structure, not people on foot. For marked walkways, add demarcation systems or a pedestrian rail made with key clamp fittings. At Regatta's distribution centre in County Cork, hi-vis key clamp handrails were placed around critical points to keep forklifts off walls, corners, racking and pipes. Read the Regatta project.

How to Order Warehouse Safety Barriers

1. Walk the site and list each point that has been hit or could be.
2. Note what each point is: rack end, mid-rack upright, column, pipe, service, corner or door.
3. Choose the height for each one and check the footprint fits.
4. Request a quote with your list, a sketch or photos, or call 01905 779944 (Monday to Friday, 8am to 5pm). We reply within one hour in working hours.

Why Buy Warehouse Barriers from Fisher Alvin

• Next-day delivery on stock orders.
• Quote within one hour. A list of points and heights is all we need.
• Free design service. Send a layout or photos and we will pick the protector and height for each point.
• Everything for the floor on one order, from protectors to Armco, demarcation and pallet gates.
• Founded in Birmingham in 1912, now based in Cradley Heath, West Midlands.

Warehouse Safety Barrier Questions

What are warehouse safety barriers made from?

Hot dip galvanised steel tube, 48.3mm OD with a 3.2mm wall, powder coated RAL 1021 rape seed yellow for visibility.

What heights are available?

From 500mm to 1500mm depending on the protector. Racking barriers come in 750mm, 1000mm and 1250mm. Structural barriers come in 500mm, 1000mm and 1500mm. Pipe and vertical barriers come in 1000mm and 1500mm, service barriers in 500mm and 750mm.

Where should racking protectors go?

BS EN 15512 states that an upright protector should be positioned at the end of each run of racking between cross-aisles, and at uprights at aisle and gangway intersections.

How do I protect uprights in the middle of a rack?

Use the Rack Shield upright protector, 900mm x 300mm. It is designed for the structural elements in the middle of a rack that forklifts can hit when backing up.

Can warehouse safety barriers be used outdoors?

Yes. The range can be used both indoors and outdoors.

How are the barriers fixed?

The hi-vis protectors bolt down to the floor. The Track Shield door guard is floor mounted for greater impact resistance.

How are they different from Armco crash barriers?

These are individual protectors placed at a single point. Armco is a continuous corrugated beam run on posts, used to keep vehicles off walls, doors and routes.

Warehouse Safety Barrier Guides and Related Ranges

Read first: forklift impact protection: where racking, columns and corners need guarding, separating pedestrians, vehicles and equipment, safe mezzanine access: barriers, gates and platforms and the work at Regatta's Cork warehouse and West Midlands Hire.

Related ranges: warehouse protection, Armco crash barriers, demarcation systems, pallet gates, self-closing safety gates and key clamp handrail kits.