One of Australia’s leading supermarket chains had an ongoing problem with damage to fixed assets caused by its large fleet of electric forklifts at their Victorian distribution centre.
Geelong-based Barrier Security Products was approached to develop a solution to their problem of reducing ongoing repair costs and most importantly to improve workplace safety.
Damage was being caused when moving forklifts impact a fixed asset or fixed barrier which was supposed to protect the asset, these impacts were always caused at low speed.
Barrier assessed the problem and decided a new type of shock absorbing bollard they had been developing would be ideal for this situation.
Managing director and head of product engineering Rick Hall said the vast majority of damage caused in a warehousing environment was a result of impacts from slow moving vehicles, usually below 10kph.
"Ordinary fixed bollards or barriers don’t work in this situation because they are rigidly mounted," he said.
"This means the force of the impact is either transferred to the asset, or the sacrificial barrier protecting the asset, which is often damaged requiring repair along with the warehouse floor”.
Barrier Security Products has developed a unique shock absorbing bollard (SAB).
The SAB uses special design and materials which allow it to absorb the energy caused by low speed impacts.
"When an SAB. is hit by a forklift for example it has the ability to do three things unlike a fixed bollard," Hall said.
“Firstly if the impact is low to the ground it can shift sideways by up to 20mm, secondly if the impact is high on the bollard it can tilt by up to eight degrees at which point it locks up."
Alternatively, he said, if the impact was of a glancing or deflection nature, it had the ability to rotate through 360 degrees.
Another benefit of the SAB is its ability to do all these things simultaneously and after impact simply return to its original state.
Six weeks after installing a trial of nine SABs, damage to assets had been minimised.
An unexpected benefit is that forklift speed has also decreased in the area where the SABs have been installed.
This is due to improved hazard identification provided by the SABs and their high visibility.
The supermarket chain have been so impressed with the results and increased safety of their work place, they have ordered a further 70 SABs to be installed.
Barrier Security Products
03 5278 8666
www.barsec.com.au