Using Bollards in the Workplace for Additional Safety

Pro Traffic Supply

Traffic bollards are generally thought of as being used to control the flow of traffic in areas where pedestrians and buildings need to be kept safe, but they’re also often used in other applications, such as within industrial workspaces. Places like warehouses, factories, and paid parking lots all use bollards to ensure more security and safety.

Warehouses

In warehouses where there are areas that need to be separated, heavy duty plated bollards work well because employees can still get to the area easily. Bollards can section off spaces in the warehouse without requiring walls to be built. They can also be used to regulate the accessibility of entryways such as garage doors.

Factories

Factories that have a lot of heavy machinery in them can benefit greatly from installing concrete or stainless steel bollards. Bollards warn employees about a machine—they can boost safety by preventing someone from accidentally getting too close and getting injured. And because OSHA guidelines dictate that industrial bollards need to be a specific shade of yellow, commonly referred to as “OSHA yellow,” it’s unlikely that an employee would be able to miss the warning.

Paid or Regulated Parking Lots

Parking lots that require clearance by way of either a badge or a paid attendant often use traffic bollards to control who enters the lot. These bollards may also have gates that have to be lifted in order to allow cars to pass through, or they may stick out from the ground and only be lowered when a car needs to pass over them. Regulating parking lots in this manner ensures no one can enter the lot who is not supposed to be there, and it does so in a highly efficient way. If the parking lot ever needs to be unrestricted, removable bollards provide the perfect solution.

OSHA Regulations and Bollards

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) was originally created in 1970 with the purpose of increasing on the job safety by reducing injuries and illnesses. Aside from helping business owners and companies protect workers, OSHA enables companies to reduce costs associated with worker’s compensation, missed workdays, and insurance costs.

Since the inception of OSHA, total deaths in the workplace have dramatically reduced as OSHA is able to better support health and safety of businesses through their regulations. OSHA promotes safety in the workplace by:

• Implementing systems to manage health and safety 
• Providing inspections at the workplace 
• Enforcing compliance 
• Promoting educational programs 
• Supporting businesses in health and safety measures 
• Establishing reporting protocols 
• Partnering with individual states and their safety programs 

The need for traffic control is one of the many important elements in workplace safety. Installing safety bollards is a key factor in maintaining this safety and security. They are used in a variety of industries including, construction, emergency management, law enforcement, and transportation. The situation usually dictates the type of security bollards that are needed. Safety bollards are available in many varieties such as surface mount bollards, lockable bollards, and permanent embedded bollards.

Common venues for bollards are concerts or political events. Removable bollards are a great option for these types of events as they allow for easy safety and traffic control when it’s needed, and easy removal after an event.

Certain traffic bollards have OSHA requirements, and there are a variety of stainless steel bollards available that meet OSHA regulations.

Sometimes OSHA requires the bollard to be a permanent fixture, especially when they are used for security measures at a public institution or embassy. OSHA also has for the regulations to ensure compliance.
regulations that pertain to the size, weight, type, and resistance level needed for safety and security based on the intended usage. It is best to check with OSHA

About the author: Pro Traffic Supply offers a wide selection of stainless steel bollards for your traffic safety needs. Their products are durable and affordable, and they offer sleeves for both surface mount and removable bollards. Their traffic safety products can be viewed at www.protrafficsupply.com.

Security Bollards Offer a Variety of Protection

Most people probably pay little attention to the various devices that help to keep us safe on the road each day. Although traffic lights, stop signs, and painted traffic lanes play a prominent, high-profile, and sometimes frustrating role in our daily lives, there are many other safety devices that are just as important to road safety, but are much less obvious to the casual observer. For instance, guard rails keep traffic moving in opposite directions separated, staving off head-on collisions; and channelizers and traffic drums let drivers know that there is construction, to slow down, and exercise extreme caution. Bollards, despite their bright colors, are another great example of these more subtle safety devices. Bollards come in permanent, removable, and surface mount varieties.

 

Permanent Embedded Bollards

While there is a considerable amount of effort made to prevent vehicle collisions and road construction tragedies, there is also great attention paid to reducing the likelihood of vehicles destroying static objects or hitting pedestrians. Traffic bollards, while often hidden in plain sight, play an important role in protecting equipment such as exposed AC units, ATMs, parking garage ticket dispensers, and pedestrian lanes. In many cases, bollards are permanently embedded into the ground 3-4 feet below the surface (much like the way a basketball hoop is cemented in place). Embedded bollards are used in areas where there is little to no chance they would ever need to be removed. However, in certain situations, there is a need for bollard security to be more adaptive.

 

Removable Embedded Bollards

Although bollards can serve as a first line of security for truck docking stations and loading garage openings when not in use, they do little good if the use of a docking station or loading garage is denied by a permanently installed bollard. This is where removable embedded bollards can come in handy. Removable bollards offer the same amount of security as their static, permanently fixed cousins, but are quickly and easily removed when necessary. As such, they make for a perfect security addition in areas such as docking stations, preventing determined thieves and other unauthorized vehicles from backing up to loading stations. Of course, removability is only a desirable quality if it’s exclusive to the person or persons responsible for managing a warehouse or business. As such, embedded removable bollards have a locking mechanism which allows them to be securely removed and replaced by simply turning a key and removing a padlock. When removed, the empty hole can be covered by a built-in cover and locked in place.

 

Surface Mount Bollards

Surface mount bollards, also known as surface plate bollards, are permanently fixed to the ground. While they are placed in permanent places like their embedded brothers, they are not embedded into the ground, but instead bolted to concrete surfaces. Surface plate bollards are preferred over permanently embedded bollards in areas like multi-level parking garages as they don’t compromise the structural integrity of the foundation as much as the deep holes used in permanent embedding. Surface mount bollards are also optimal for adding crash security to areas that may have been overlooked during initial construction, or to protect quickly developed pedestrian lanes on city streets, saving the extra time and money needed to otherwise dig holes for permanent installation.
While technology will always continue to change our means of transporting people and goods, safety and security will always be needed. So until cars can fly, bollards will always serve a purpose in the ongoing endeavor to keep us safe during travel and supporting the transportation of goods needed to drive the American economy. And who knows, by that point bollards may have evolved as well- giving rise to air bollards to protect those soaring cars!

About the Author:
Pro Traffic Supply sells traffic safety devices, including all types of bollards, through their website, www.protrafficsupply.com. Pro Traffic supply has products featured on their website in stock at low prices, and all bollards are proudly made in the USA with quality, care, and attention to detail.