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Extensively Tested for Your Peace of Mind

Our polymer safety barriers undergo rigorous, certified testing so you can have complete confidence in their performance.

Why Certified Testing Matters
Certified testing gives you peace of mind that what’s installed in your facility will work as promised.  By subjecting our barriers to multiple, real-world impact tests under controlled conditions, we can guarantee you fewer injuries, less damage to equipment or stock, and more confidence in your safety investment every day.
 
Below we explain the three main types of barrier testing we use and why they’re important.

Pendulum Impact Testing

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Pendulum testing is a dynamic impact test where a heavy weight is swung like a pendulum into the barrier. This simulates the sudden force of a vehicle collision in a repeatable way. Why a pendulum? It allows us to measure how well the barrier absorbs energy on impact, much like a car crash test dummy measures impact in a collision. The barrier must flex and absorb the blow without breaking, dissipating energy so that less force is transferred to the floor or vehicle.

In practice, a successful pendulum test means the barrier can withstand certain impact forces while minimising damage to vehicles and injury risk to individuals​. For you, this translates to barriers that bend but don’t break; protecting your forklifts, your racking, and most importantly your people. Our pendulum tests follow industry guidelines (as outlined in PAS 13 and ISO/TR 11886) to ensure realistic collision scenarios are tested.

Ramp Collision & Horizontal Impact Testing

Ramp testing involves rolling a weighted vehicle or cart down a slope into the barrier, mimicking a forklift or pallet truck collision under real warehouse conditions. This test delivers a moving impact at a known speed, helping to verify how the barrier behaves when struck by an actual wheeled load.

The ramp collision test shows us how the barrier absorbs and deflects a moving vehicle impact. Does it stop the vehicle safely? Does it redirect it? How much does the barrier deflect? By answering these questions, we ensure our barriers perform in the real world, not just in theory. For you as a safety manager, the ramp test means our barriers have been proven against mobile impacts, so you can trust them to reduce damage and prevent accidents in high-traffic areas (such as forklift lanes, loading bays, etc.).

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The horizontal impact test, often called the “sledge test”, is the ultimate head-on crash simulation for a barrier.

In this test, a heavy mass is propelled horizontally at the barrier (90° impact) using a powered sled or similar device. This delivers a direct hit akin to a forklift driving straight into the barrier at full speed. It’s a crucial test for worst-case scenario impacts.

Clarity’s barriers (made by our partners at MPM) are tested with horizontal impacts to verify they can handle the full force of an oncoming vehicle without failure. The barrier’s ability to withstand a head-on collision gives you confidence that even in a direct crash, it will protect critical infrastructure and personnel behind it.

In short: if a barrier passes the sledge test, it means you’re protected against even the most intense collisions your site is likely to see.

How do our barriers compare? Check it out for yourself.

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Do Polymer Barriers Shatter on Impact?

Standards and Certifications: Going Beyond PAS 13:2017

Clarity PAS13 Brochure - Do you comply_page-0001
PAS 13 (Publicly Available Specification 13) is a widely-referenced guide in the UK for warehouse barrier safety, but it’s important to know its limitations. PAS 13 is a code of practice, not a formal testing standard​clarity-safety.com. It provides guidelines on barrier design and impact performance, but on its own PAS 13 is just the starting point. In fact, the PAS 13 document itself emphasizes that it should be considered a guide, not a detailed specification​.
We don’t just tick a PAS 13 box – we ensure our barriers are tested to stringent European and international standards for safety barriers. This includes adhering to the methods in ISO/TR 11886 (an ISO technical report outlining best practices for barrier impact testing) and the latest UNI/TS 11886-1:2022 technical standard. By testing beyond PAS 13, we align with the highest benchmarks in Europe, giving you a level of safety assurance that exceeds basic compliance.
Additionally, all our barrier testing isn’t just done in-house. We have independent certification by TÜV, a globally recognised German testing body known for its rigorous safety assessments. Why does that matter? Because an independent TÜV stamp means our barriers have met stringent standards for performance and durability under unbiased examination​. In other words, an outside expert has verified that these barriers do what we say they do. This third-party validation provides extra peace of mind for you as a decision-maker. The bottom line: Clarity (and MPM) take testing so seriously that we’ve invested in meeting multiple international standards and certifications, not just the minimum. While some competitors may rely on self-certified data or less comprehensive tests, we ensure every claim about our barriers is backed by repeatable tests and external certification. It’s a level of due diligence that helps protect you, your team, and your business reputation.
Download Your PAS 13 Guide
Find out more about PAS 13