Protect Your Staff and Stock Against Vehicle Collisions

24 January 2018 in Health and Safety Health & Safety Barriers
  • Health and Safety Barriers

A key concern for health and safety managers responsible for a business, which operates using vehicles alongside employees at ground level, is the risk of collisions. You must ensure you put forward precautions such as safety barriers, to help reduce the chances of a crash. Failure to do so may contribute to the severity of any injuries caused by a collision, as well as damages to stock, machinery and structures.

Why Choose Safety Barriers

Vehicles approaching any of the aforementioned will be brought to an instant halt when met with the impact of a safety bollard. Sometimes, it’s the simple solutions that need to be put into practice in order to solve complex problems.

Our safety barriers are flexible, so when a collision between a vehicle and bollard occurs, both the vehicle and bollard experience minimal damage.

Potential Hazards and Risks

Businesses which fail to provide an adequate series of safety barriers leave their members of staff at risk of injury and their stock in jeopardy. Health and safety managers must ensure they are able to convince decision makers that safety barriers are an intrinsic tool in health and safety strategy.  Without safety barriers:

  • Employees are in danger of sustaining serious life-threatening injuries. Even if there are strict rules and regulations in place, accidents are exempt and take no notice. The speed limit you enforce won’t matter if somebody is distracted at the wheel and subsequently collides with an unaware worker.
     
  • Any exposed stock and materials your business houses are at risk of being damaged or destroyed. If reserve or substitute products aren’t readily available, orders may fail to be delivered on the given time or at all. This can cause customers and clients to lose trust in the business, consequently affecting the businesses income. This can even have a knock-on effect and put people’s jobs at risk.

Creating a Safe Environment

Appropriate protective equipment outlined in the risk assessment should also be worn at all times too, by both pedestrian and operator employees. If a member of staff ventures away from the protection of the safety barriers, then wearing a hardhat can be the difference between life and death in the event of a collision.

It’s important that all staff members, especially the health and safety manager, guarantee they are in a fit state for work. Always ensure you report any problems to your superiors, to avoid disastrous circumstances.