Crush barrier
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A safety barrier is a component which prevents passage into a dangerous area, commonly used to mitigate
risk In simple terms, risk is the possibility of something bad happening. Risk involves uncertainty about the effects/implications of an activity with respect to something that humans value (such as health, well-being, wealth, property or the environm ...
. Safety barriers may be hard barriers physically restricting passage or soft barriers that control circuits based on the presence of foreign bodies.


Description

A safety barrier is a component which prevents passage into a dangerous area. It is commonly used to mitigate
risk In simple terms, risk is the possibility of something bad happening. Risk involves uncertainty about the effects/implications of an activity with respect to something that humans value (such as health, well-being, wealth, property or the environm ...
in the Hazard-Barrier-Target model, as studied in safety science. Work Safe Victoria (an Australian organization) defines a Safety Barrier as a device that: * physically separate the work area and the traveled way, * are designed to resist penetration of an out-of control vehicle, and * have properties which redirect an out-of-control vehicle back on to the road away from the work area.


Types of barriers

Hard barriers are fixed or removable guards which prevent entry. These include fences,
traffic barrier Traffic barriers (sometimes called Armco barriers,AK Steel (formerly Armco) genericized trademark also known in North America as guardrails or guard rails and in Britain as crash barriers) keep vehicles within their roadway and prevent them from ...
s, and crush barriers. Soft barriers are devices such as light curtains. They detect the presence of a foreign body and are tied into the control circuit to stop the machine.


Components

Hard barriers are fixed into the ground as a bollard or gate, removable on stands, or clipped to a structure. Regardless of the barrier type, the components and overall assembly will be similar. The material of rails used to stop the flow of objects into the protected area must be durable and strong enough to withstand any impacts related to the environment in which it is installed; for example, a guard rail on the side of the road must be able to contain and safely stop or drastically slow down a vehicle weighing up to 40 tons (
cable barrier A cable barrier, sometimes referred to as guard cable or wire rope safety barrier (WRSB), is a type of roadside or median safety traffic barrier/guard rail. It consists of steel wire ropes mounted on weak posts. As is the case with any roadside b ...
s are most effective against tractor trailers), whereas a pedestrian safety barrier only needs to be tall enough, designed with a lattice effect to keep people from climbing through it, or highly visible when being used to display caution.


Applications

Safety barriers vary depending on their application. In an industrial setting, a safety barrier may be a
fence A fence is a structure that encloses an area, typically outdoors, and is usually constructed from posts that are connected by boards, wire, rails or netting. A fence differs from a wall in not having a solid foundation along its whole length. ...
or window, designed to keep the operator away from moving parts or other hazards. Railings should be closed cornered with rounded or flared edges to prevent any further damage to personnel or machinery in the event of a collision. Safety barriers can also be used to protect the corners of fixtures, support columns, exposed pipes or cables, or designated areas on the work floor. In an automotive setting, the barrier may be a
traffic barrier Traffic barriers (sometimes called Armco barriers,AK Steel (formerly Armco) genericized trademark also known in North America as guardrails or guard rails and in Britain as crash barriers) keep vehicles within their roadway and prevent them from ...
or
Jersey barrier A Jersey barrier, Jersey wall, or Jersey bump is a modular concrete or plastic barrier employed to separate lanes of traffic. It is designed to minimize vehicle damage in cases of incidental contact while still preventing vehicle crossovers resu ...
, separating lanes/directions of traffic flow. In crowd control, terraces use crush barriers to reduce the risk of
human crush Crowd collapses and crushes are catastrophic incidents that can occur when a body of people becomes dangerously overcrowded. When a body of people reaches or exceeds the density of , the pressure on each individual can cause the crowd to collapse ...
in large crowds.


See also

* Platform screen doors


References

Protective barriers Perimeter security {{Industry-stub