Ignorance an adoption barrier?
June 1st 2007

Surely warehouse managers have enough to think about without getting into the finer points of safety barrier manufacture? A-Safe's Chris Townsend thinks otherwise

Warehouse managers have enough to think about, without getting into the finer points of safety barrier manufacture. So let's ask a question that isn't technical: do you control words, or do words control you? There's a distribution depot in the Midlands where the internal walls are ringed with Armco barriers. They are there to hold back wayward forklift trucks, and they do a pretty good job of protecting the structure of the building.

The forklift trucks are battle-scarred, of course. But that's as nothing compared to the Armco barrier, which is bent and dented and scratched. In fact, in the most exposed areas the Armco has to be regularly replaced.

But then, what else would you expect? It's just doing its job.

If you're nodding your head in agreement, then you're probably the type of person that is controlled by words.

Like the manager in the Midlands depot, you'd have foreseen the risks that the forklifts posed to the building and asked a contractor to put in some Armco. But what is 'Armco'? The word is actually a trademark of the American Rolling Mill Company, which was founded at the end of the 19th Century and now belongs to the giant AK Steel Holdings Corporation. Originally 'Armco' referred to a type of 'rust-resisting' steel developed for fence wire exactly 100 years ago. It became widely used for many outdoor applications: one of them being barrier and guard rails.

In the UK (and a few other parts of the world) the usage has become generic like Hoover or Biro. When people ask for a Hoover, they are not fazed if the salesman shows them a Dyson. Similarly, when people specify Armco they'll settle for any corrugated metal barrier.

In other words, there's no specification implied in the generic use of the word Armco. This doesn't mean, of course, that the barriers used in the central aisle of motorways – which are often described as Armco – are not rigidly specified.

It means that there is nothing to stop a factory from adapting aluminium window frames as guard rail, and also calling it Armco (it actually happened: the company was prosecuted by the HSE following an accident).

When words control you, it's called prejudice. And the prejudice here is the idea that a barrier has to be metal. It doesn't matter that chunks of your car and even active lumps of its engine are now made of 'plastic'; people still assume that the same car ought to be stopped by something made of steel.

But while a tension corrugated beam might be the best way of deflecting a speeding vehicle that is involved in a shallow impact on the motorway: is it actually what you want in a warehouse? A-Safe thinks it isn't – and provides a complete range of polypropylene barriers which meet relevant BS Standards, and that have already been specified by the likes of Maplin, QVC, Laddaw, Office Depot International, Business Post, DHL and Pinnacle Entertainment.

"Okay," you might say, "there might be a case for putting polypropylene barriers on the wall: but there are other places in a warehouse that need protecting, and it's a maintenance nightmare if you end up mixing barrier systems.

"Have you any idea," you'd probably continue, "what the roller shutter doors cost on the delivery bay? You'd be a fool to use anything but a bollard to protect them." Fine. But what's wrong with a polypropylene bollard? After all, nylon and rubber stand-offs have been used for years to protect harbour walls against the largest ships. The problem that A-Safe has had with its polypropylene bollards, is the same one that other fabricators have had with metal ones; namely, installation.

A bollard needs to be set in concrete.

Simply pinning a bollard to a road surface is dangerous because it is deceptive: tarmac is – to all intents and purposes – a liquid. Put any weight against a metal bollard set in tarmac and it will roll over like a bowling pin.

And while you're concerned about maintenance, ask yourself how often you have to paint metal guardrails.

Anyone that says 'never' ought to reacquaint themselves with best practice: painting metal not only prevents rust and preserves the rail – it's also important to ensure high visibility.

A-Safe barriers are bright yellow-andblack all the way through, and never need painting. What's more, if you change the factory layout, A-safe barriers are, light enough to carry, easily disassembled and are readily capable of being re-used.

When a vehicle smacks into an A-safe barrier, the barrier absorbs the impact: it flexes and springs back. Just like a metal barrier rail, the wall is unscratched or the racks aren't knocked sideways – but with Asafe, the truck gets to keep its shiny paint.

Warehouse managers are probably unconcerned about keeping a high-gloss finish on their forklifts; but this is not a matter of aesthetics. It's not just the truckcasing that comes into contact with the barriers – it's often the goods being carried.

A-safe barriers could mean fewer dented washing machines (still-working, but sadly unsaleable), or less chipped ceramic sanitary ware, or far less split cement bags (not much money lost there; but what about the time spent cleaning it up?).

Which is the kind of thing warehouse managers are supposed to think about.

Isn't it?

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