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Almost every week we get asked to help out customers to address their challenge of pedestrian segregation in factories where space is very restricted.
This can be for a number of reasons, but one of the biggest causes of this is where the demand for their products has outstripped the intended capacity of the packing area.
The other challenge in this environment can be that there are many pallet movements per hour so manually operating a gate can be a no-go. In these situations, we often end up with a tug-of-war between production and health and safety.
Production have got numbers to hit, Health and safety have got numbers to avoid.....
Often, customers have already installed polymer barriers in other areas of the warehouse; they know the safety benefits of the polymer barriers, but nobody wants to talk about the problem of the footprint they consume in an already confined packing area.
If you're looking to make your warehouse safer for pedestrians but have very limited space then this article is for you. in this article, we will discuss the following;
- How much space does an FLT need?
- Why are polymer barriers a problem in restricted spaces?
- What alternative products are available?
- What floor markings can be used where barriers cannot be used?
- What is the best option for you?
How much space does an FLT need?
A customer recently decided to install more production lines into an already tight space, In order to maximise the space, we needed to full understand what space is required for the forklift trucks. In this particular case the FLT's we 5T trucks and carry 2 pallets side by side (AKA a multi-pallet handler).
Traditionally we have always allowed 5 Metres to swing around for loading and off-loading but, without slowing the operation down, we were able to reduce the required space down to 4.75M per side.
Might not seem like a big win, but this was for a truck loading area and meant an increase in available space of 3M, enough space for an additional container loading area!
Why are polymer barriers a problem in restricted spaces?
If you're unsure of the benefits of a polymer barrier, you probably should be reading this article: What is a polymer barrier? The problem with a polymer barrier is that they can be quite big and consume a lot of floor space.
Some products such as Boplan TB400 has a rail diameter of 200MM, or the Asafe Atlas barrier has rail diameter of 190mm. Even our own barriers go up to 160mm in diameter. This in itself is only half of the problem, these barriers are designed to flex, so they require an impact exclusion zone behind the barrier. According to PAS 13, this is 150 mm, meaning that a polymer barrier consumes up to 350mm of floor space. Assuming that you have 10 production lines - that is 3.5M of available space used.
So what can we do about the problem of polymer barriers taking up too much space? Firstly, Are the barriers right for the location? You may have a 5tonne FLT capable of travelling at 7 km/h, but is that FLT really going to hit that barrier at 90 degrees at full speed? If so then yes, you need a barrier that can withstand a 10KJ impact head on.
What alternative options are available?
Not all barriers consume massive amounts of space, The standard Clarity pedestrian barrier has a post diameter of just 125mm and a rail width of just 50mm, of course, we still need to allow for an exclusion zone but even at 200mm, this is significantly less than many other polymer barriers.
The first thing we really need to look at is the whole available space. Are the wall protection or asset protection barriers consuming too much space? Some traffic barriers will use 340-350mm whereas products such as BFlex will use as little as 200mm.
If you have already squeezed as much space as you can out of the factory floor - there are other options:
Automatic lifting barriers - up to 8M long - these can lift out of the way when there is no FLT required. When space is really tight but the actual amount of pallet/product movements is low - an automated lifting barrier can be used to create an exclusion zone where pedestrian can be kept safe. When we have installed these into customers, the feedback from the HSE inspectors has been very positive.
Where it is not physically possible to install a barrier at all, then a projected system may be an option for you.
What floor markings can be used where barriers cannot be used?
At Clarity, we are the European distributor for MightyLine floor tapes, Mightyline floor tapes offer a 3 year warranty and are the most durable tapes we have ever found. Mightyline floor tapes can be used to demarcate the area and segregate pedestrian walkways from FLT routes using colour coding. MightyLine floor tapes are available in a range of colours and sizes, and are even available as floor signs such as 'STOP' signs.
If floor tapes are not an option, for example, in washdown areas where the floors are washed down daily (the adhesive can fail in very wet conditions), a projected system may be a good option for you.
LED projectors can be used to warn pedestrians of oncoming FLTs, it can warn FLTs of pedestrians in the area.
In this case - we have a pedestrian free zone occasionally, we need pedestrians to do a stocktake or other checks, we have notified the FLT driver and prevented access into the area:
What is the best option for you?
The best option is always the safest option. If this affects production output then there will usually be a battle between your production teams and the health and safety teams.
Ultimately, everyone has a right to go home safely so call an expert in. We would love to be included in your journey - If you're unsure, book an non-obligatory teams call today to see what the best options are for you - book a teams call here:
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