Five safety fencing benefits and considerations

In today&#;s manufacturing environment, safety fencing plays an integral role in protecting employees from hazards posed by industrial machinery. Threats to operator safety can be found on automated machinery, process control equipment, robotic work cells, and many other areas on a manufacturing floor.

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A physical barrier between hazards and operators is an effective, low-tech solution for significantly reducing the risk of injury and the costly lawsuits or machine downtime that result from these accidents.

Before implementing a safety fencing system, these five considerations should be taken into account.

1. Area requiring guarding

The most basic step in selecting a safety fence is determining the size of the area surrounding the hazards that need guarding. Once the dimensions are known, panels and doors can be selected to best fit the area.  A large variety of panel widths helps with covering areas of all shapes and sizes most efficiently.

While selecting the panel sizes, it is important to think about where the door(s) will be located. Other configurable door options to consider when designing the system are right or left-hand opening, single or double door, and a suitable handle type.

2. Height of the fencing

Choosing an appropriate fence height is important to prevent injuries that would occur from reaching over the top. The ISO standard mandates the required safety distances to prevent upper and lower limbs from contacting hazard zones. The "height of the danger zone" and the "height of the protective structure" are used to determine the required horizontal distance the fence should be from the "danger zone."

The ISO standard also includes injury risks from reaching through the fencing. For example, the steel mesh panels can have 20 mm slots. Based on this opening size, the chart says a safety distance of at least 120 mm is required. By understanding the relationship between height, opening size, and horizontal distance we can select a properly guarded fencing system.

3. Operator safety

It is important to plan for the safety conditions required for when operators must enter the guarding system (e.g. to perform maintenance, resolve E-stop conditions, etc.). A common practice to keep operators protected is a safety interlock door handle and push buttons mounted on the post (e.g. E-stop, reset, request to enter). The signals from these are used to shut down power to potentially hazardous components while operators are in the work cell.

For many fencing systems, the end user is responsible for installing the safety interlock door handle, push buttons, and connector that runs the signals back to the safety controller. To offload this task from the end user, some fences have an option that includes a pre-wired and mounted safety interlock door handle, push buttons, and a connector to run the signals back to the safety controller.

This handy option is popular because of the reduced installation time and overall convenience a pre-wired and pre-mounted solution offers.

4. Ease of install/modularity

Most safety fencing systems are held together with a large number of nuts, bolts, and joining brackets. While simple, the installation of these systems can be tedious and time-consuming. Every single bolt has to be tightened and it can be a pain to keep the corners square. Additionally, if the system has to be expanded or re-arranged, the process of removing the hardware can be daunting.

To modernize the installation procedure, GSM has developed an innovative mounting system that requires no tools. The panels snap securely in place via quick connect fittings located on the posts. Systems that have a fast and simple connection method can be much easier to work with, especially if the system has to be expanded upon or altered.

5. Robustness and longevity

Guarding systems need to be strong enough to handle unexpected collisions from personnel, carts, and even the occasional forklift. They also need to be able to last in a manufacturing environment without degrading.

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An enemy to the longevity of a safety fencing system is the presence of chemicals and harsh conditions found in some manufacturing environments. Long-term exposure to these can degrade a fencing system. To prevent degradation, users should powder coat all panels and doors to ensure they will last even in the harshest environments. Powder coated steel serves as a great combination of strength and durability for a safety fencing system.

Following the steps in this guide can help you deploy a safety fencing solution that is appropriately sized, ensures operator safety, and will hold up in the environment. 

Kevin Gough, account manager, Cross Company. This article originally appeared on Cross Company online. Cross Company is a CFE Media content partner. Edited by Emily Guenther, associate content manager, Control Engineering, CFE Media, .

Original content can be found at www.crossco.com.

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Buy Palisade Security Fencing

What is Palisade Fencing?

Palisade fencing provides a great solution for locations that need to provide a high level of security. This permanent security fencing system offers great strength and longevity and is perhaps the most traditional form of security fencing. By installing a steel palisade security fencing system around the perimeter of a site, premises can be kept secure at all times. This is not only due to its robust construction, but its intimidating appearance works as an effective intrusion and theft deterrent. Palisade fencing also functions as effective boundary demarcation and this can be enhanced through the addition of a polyester powder coated finish.

The Benefits of Palisade Fencing & Gates

Designed to provide security and protection in a wide range of outdoor locations, palisade security fencing can be erected on hard ground like concrete by using steel bolt down posts, or on softer ground like grass, where dig-in posts are set within the ground. Palisade fencing is designed for permanent installation and can also be installed on both level ground and sloping ground which has a gradient no greater than 30 degrees; as it can be assembled to run parallel to the ground without the need for stepping.

Palisade fencing can also be adapted to meet site access requirements, and we offer a range of pedestrian and vehicle access gates in heights from 1.8m to 3.0m and widths ranging from 1.2m to 10.0m. Adding a palisade security gate within your palisade fencing system will provide a controllable access point that can be locked to ensure security is maintained at all times.

All of our palisade security fencing and gates are made from cold-rolled steel and are galvanised with a protective zinc coating to help prevent rust over time. This galvanised finish meets the BS EN ISO : standard.

What Makes Palisade Fencing So Secure?

There are several features of steel palisade fencing that makes it such an effective security fencing system. Palisade fencing is manufactured using a cold rolling process, so whilst this makes the steel lighter in weight than other metals, it doesn&#;t compromise its strength in any way. Cold rolling involves steel being passed through a number of rollers at room temperature, where the steel is manipulated gradually until its shape is formed, so no heat is required for this manufacturing process. The steel is also galvanised to protect the palisade fencing against rust, and the addition of polyester powder coating will also increase the resilience of the steel, as well as giving it a brighter look.

Our palisade fencing is supplied with &#;W&#; section steel pales, which means they have a thinner middle section, with thicker edges that curve inwards. The &#;W&#; shape profile of palisade pales ultimately provides the fencing with greater strength and stability, as well as making them difficult to grip or climb. To suit any application, these gates are available in heights from 1.8m to 3.0m and widths ranging from 1.2m to 10.0m. Our palisade fencing for sale is supplied with triple pointed steel pales as standard; however, we also offer single-pointed pales, plus round and notched pales. These steel pales are what makes palisade fencing such as recognisable security fencing system.

Steel palisade fencing also features two steel rails within its construction &#; a top rail and a bottom rail. The top palisade rail also has small barbs along the top, which helps to deter intruders from climbing over the fencing structure.

Palisade fencing also requires anti-tamper fixings, which is designed specifically for this type of fencing. Offering a secure connection, the bolt will fit tightly within the bolthole where the top section of the nut will snap off. Therefore, the bolts cannot be tampered with or removed once the palisade fencing has been installed.

Palisade Fencing for Sale at First Fence

Because of the number of different components need for assembly, palisade fencing is supplied as a kit. At First Fence, we can offer a handy palisade security fencing calculator, which will determine the quantity of fencing you will need, once you&#;ve entered the perimeter length that your security fencing needs to cover.

We also supply all manual palisade gates with the correct number of fixings required for installation.

In addition, you can purchase palisade fencing accessories individually. Whether you require replacement fixings, barbed wire or postfix cement, we can provide this.

Delivery and Installation Services

At First Fence, we stock a large amount of palisade fencing, so we can offer next day delivery to our customers. We also offer express delivery and economy delivery on palisade fencing products.

We also offer a great installation service, where our professional fitting team will erect your palisade fencing for you; saving you time and ensuring a secure, quality system.

Alternatively, find out more about our range of security fencing, which also includes mesh fencing For more details about the services that we provide, please call us on and a member of our sales team will be happy to help.

For more information, please visit Palisade Fencing Manufacturers.