Safety bollards are widely used in various industrial production environments. It has multiple functions, such as ensuring personnel safety and protecting equipment. This article will provide you with a detailed introduction to safety bollards and help you select the most suitable safety bollards for you.
What Is A Safety Bollard?
A safety bollard is a fixed or detachable vertical column. It can be divided into fixed, detachable, and surface-mounted & in-ground installations. Its main function is to resist special situations of vehicle collisions in the production environment through physical barriers and buffering.
Compared to an ordinary bollard, safety bollards have stronger impact resistance, a more stable structure, and a longer service life. Furthermore, safety bollards are more suitable for industrial production scenarios.
What Are The Functions Of Safety Bollards?
In fact, safety bollards are an indispensable supporting facility in the enterprise safety system. In practical application, their function goes beyond blocking colliding vehicles. Their main functions include the following aspects:
Protect Equipment
Forklifts, pallet trucks, electric transfer vehicles, and other vehicles may accidentally collide with equipment during operation. Once an impact occurs, it will have an impact on both the vehicle and equipment, resulting in unnecessary losses.
Safety bollards can provide all-weather and highly reliable protection for protected objects. After installing the safety bollard, it can effectively prevent forklifts, transfer vehicles, and other vehicles from colliding with important equipment.
It can fundamentally avoid the risk of vehicle collisions and reduce the probability of equipment damage for you. Therefore, it also reduces the long-term maintenance and replacement costs of facilities.
Physically Separate Pedestrian And Vehicular Traffic
There are often situations where people and vehicles mix or cross paths in factories and warehouses, which is also a common cause of factory accidents.
If only ground markings and warning signs are used, it may not be possible to fully control the driving trajectory of vehicles and the walking route of personnel. In this situation, safety bollards can fully leverage their advantages.
By installing the safety bollard, a hard physical barrier can be formed to divide the area, control the driving route of vehicles, and reduce the probability of accidents. In addition, safety bollards can provide clear visual warning with high-visibility yellow-black coating. It is very important for safety.
Meet Compliance Requirements
The safety bollard is essential equipment for EHS safety system audits, third-party factory inspections, and government safety production inspections. A reasonable layout of the safety bollard can improve the safety factor of the factory and help you pass various inspections smoothly. If there is no safety bollard, it is likely to result in you facing fines and suspension penalties.
Comprehensive security equipment is also an important aspect for enterprises to demonstrate their level of security management to the outside world, which can enhance customers’ trust in the enterprise.
Types Of Safety Bollard
Fixed Bollard
A fixed bollard is the most common and widely used type in industrial production environments. It is installed by embedding concrete or fixing it with anchor bolts. As expected, it has strong impact resistance and a stable structure.
However, as it cannot be moved freely, it is suitable for long-term protection of fixed areas. It is often installed around production equipment, warehouse entrances, loading and unloading areas, and other areas. It has strong durability and almost no maintenance costs.
Removable Bollard
As the name suggests, the biggest feature of a removable bollard is that it can be disassembled. It adopts a split structure, which can be installed and disassembled according to your needs during use. Compared to a fixed bollard, it has higher flexibility and can adapt to various situations. If there is a need for vehicles to enter and exit the protected area, the removable bollard is very suitable.
It is often used in fire exits, controlled vehicle areas, and occasionally in locations where transport vehicles need to enter and exit. Its protection capability is lower than that of a fixed bollard, and its locking structure needs to be checked regularly.
Heavy-Duty Safety Bollard
The heavy-duty safety bollard upgrade has thickened the pipe wall and filled the interior with concrete. Its impact resistance is stronger than other safety bollards, and it can withstand the strong impact of 3-8 ton heavy-duty forklifts and heavy-duty transfer vehicles. It is a protective facility designed specifically for high-load, high-risk industrial areas.
Flexible Safety Bollard
Flexible safety bollards are typically made from materials such as PU, rubber, and flexible polymers. Its biggest feature is that it bends after being impacted and returns to its original state after the pressure is released.
Compared to other safety bollards, it can reduce damage to vehicles. Its maintenance cost after being hit is not high, making it more suitable for environments with frequent minor collisions, such as workshop internal passages and pedestrian entrances and exits.
Retractable / Folding Bollard
Retractable/Folding bollards and removable bollards are somewhat similar in that they both have the function of “flexible access control” and are not permanently fixed obstacles that can be changed according to needs.
However, removable bollards are opened and closed manually, while retractable/folding bollards rely on mechanical structures for opening and closing. If your factory needs to open the entrance multiple times a day, choosing a retractable bollard is more convenient. But if your factory only occasionally requires large equipment to enter, the cost of choosing a removable bollard is lower.
Moreover, retractable/folding bollards typically require underground installation space, drainage systems, and mechanical components, making installation more complex.
Quick Comparison Table
| Type | Impact Resistance | Flexibility | Primary Application Scenarios | Maintenance Cost |
| Fixed Bollard | High | Low (Immovable) | Equipment, fire-fighting facilities, and wall fixed protection | Very low |
| Removable Bollard | Medium-High | High (Can be disassembled and assembled at any time) | Temporary traffic passage, secondary entrance to the factory area | Low |
| Heavy-Duty Safety Bollard | Extremely High | Low (Fixed installation) | Unloading port, heavy-duty operation area, high-risk equipment area | Very low |
| Flexible Safety Bollard | Medium | Medium-High | Internal workshop, pedestrian walkway, low-speed traffic area | Very low (No deformation loss) |
| Retractable / Folding Bollard | Medium-High | Extremely High (Intelligent opening and closing) | Main entrance of the factory area, intelligent logistics park passage | Medium (Regular maintenance of mechanical structures is required) |
The Specific Applications Of Safety Bollards In Industrial Safety
The application scope of safety bollards is very wide, and the following are some common application scenarios.
Manufacturing Factory
Safety bollards can be used to protect equipment on the production line and prevent vehicles from accidentally hitting the equipment; protect staff and meet the requirements of workshop safety production.
Storage Warehouse
On the one hand, safety bollards can protect shelves, warehouse corners, and fire exits, preventing forklift impacts from causing shelf deformation and cargo collapse. On the other hand, it can also regulate the driving route of vehicles and reduce the probability of accidents in your factory.
High-risk Facility Protection
Safety bollards can provide physical protection around fire equipment, pipeline valves, and other facilities to avoid safety hazards caused by vehicle collisions.This physical protection is more effective than any warning sign.
How To Choose The Right Safety Bollard?
When choosing a safety bollard, it is necessary to comprehensively consider the protected objects, vehicle risks, installation environment, and maintenance requirements. If you only focus on size and price, you may encounter many problems in practical applications. Here are some suggestions when choosing a safety bollard.
Clearly Define The Protected Objects
When choosing a specific safety bollard, it is necessary to clarify what the area you primarily protect is. Different protection objects have different requirements for the product.
If it is to protect high-value equipment, such as electrical control cabinets, high-precision production equipment, etc., it is recommended that you choose heavy-duty or fixed safety bollards with higher impact resistance. If it is a mixed traffic area within the workshop, flexible crash barriers can be chosen to reduce the risk of vehicle damage.
Assess Vehicle Risks
The impact force generated by different vehicles varies greatly, and it is necessary to choose a safety bollard based on the type of vehicle in your production environment.
If your factory only has light pallet trucks or small electric transfer vehicles, conventional standard crash barriers can meet the requirements.
But if your factory has heavy-duty forklifts or heavy-duty handling vehicles, then you must choose heavy-duty safety crash barriers. Only heavy-duty safety crash barriers can effectively resist high-intensity impacts.
Analyze Installation Environment
The installation method and environment of safety bollards directly affect their protective effect.
Firstly, it is necessary to distinguish between indoor and outdoor environments. Outdoor environments often have higher quality requirements for safety bollards, requiring the selection of rust-proof and anti-aging styles. Then choose the specific installation method according to the requirements of the site.
Consider Maintenance Requirements
Considering only procurement costs and neglecting maintenance costs is a common mistake made by safety bollard procurement. Different safety bollards have different maintenance requirements.
It is recommended that you understand these issues when purchasing specific safety bollards:
- Is it easy to check?
- Is it easy to replace?
- Is the coating on the surface of the product wear-resistant?
- Does the product need to be replaced after being impacted?
FAQ
How To Determine The Appropriate Height For A Safety Bollard?
The height of safety bollards is mainly determined based on the height of the factory’s operating vehicles. To ensure that the safety bollards can intercept the main body of the work vehicle, if it is too low, it may cause collision bypass risk.
Here are some situations for your reference. If you are unsure about what size of safety bollards to choose, you can contact us, and we can recommend the best option for you.
| Applicable Scenarios | Recommended Height |
| 1-3 ton conventional forklift and pallet truck | 900-1000mm |
| Heavy-duty forklifts and heavy-duty transfer vehicles weighing 5 tons or more | 1100-1200mm |
| Pedestrian channel isolation, small equipment protection | 800mm |
| High-risk areas such as outdoor working conditions and unloading docks | Standard or elevated models |
Can Safety Bollards Be Customized According To Specific Requirements?
Yes. We can customize safety bollards according to your specific needs to adapt to various working conditions. The customizable content includes: height, pipe diameter, pipe wall thickness, color, surface treatment process, and so on.
Meanwhile, An Ping can also customize the structure and base style of the lock for you. Some products can also print the company logo for you.
How Often Should Safety Bollards Be Inspected And Repaired?
The inspection cycle for different types of safety bollards varies.
For fixed bollards, heavy-duty safety bollards, and flexible bollards, due to their relatively simple structure, they usually only need to be inspected once every quarter.
If it is in high-frequency operation areas such as warehouses, logistics centers, or other areas with a high probability of impact, it is recommended to check once a month.
For safety bollards with mechanical mechanisms such as lifting and folding, it is recommended to perform comprehensive maintenance every six months. If they become loose, deformed, or broken, they need to be replaced in a timely manner.
What Are The Safety Standards For Safety Bollards?
Different regions have different safety standards. Below are some common safety standards for your reference.
| Region | Main Safety Standards | Note |
| China | EHS system; Standardization of Factory Safety Production | Assessment of impact resistance, structural strength, warning, and corrosion resistance, used for factory inspections and safety inspections |
| Europe | PAS 68 | Impact performance testing |
| North America | ASTM F3016,ASTM F2656,OSHA | Impact performance evaluation meets occupational safety requirements on construction sites |
| Internationally Accepted | IWA 14‑1 | Vehicle collision barrier impact test |
Can The Flexible Bollards Fully Rebound And Recover After Being Severely Impacted?
Flexible bollards can fully rebound and reset after mild to moderate impacts caused by pallet trucks or light forklifts. However, if subjected to severe impacts from heavy-duty forklifts or other vehicle models, the internal structure of flexible bollards will suffer irreversible damage and cannot be fully restored to its original state.
In this case, it is necessary to replace flexible bollards promptly to ensure their protective effect.
Final Thought:
There are many types of safety bollards. If you choose the wrong safety bollards, they may not only fail to provide protection but also require additional funds to dismantle and rebuild. An Ping can provide customized protection solutions according to your needs. If you want to purchase high-quality safety bollards, welcome to contact us.
