What Is the Best Way to Protect Warehouse Columns, Posts, and Beams?
- By Dan Carver
- Nov 6, 2023
- 0 Comments
Here’s the essential information you need to choose the right beam protectors for your building. Learn how column guards protect posts, plus the consequences of leaving building columns and poles unprotected. Once your company understands the costs involved in failing to protect the structural integrity of the building, investing in warehouse column protectors becomes a smart financial strategy.
The Dangers and High Cost of Unprotected Structural Elements
Imagine this scenario…
You manage a warehouse where workers routinely use forklifts to move items. One day, a forklift operator driving in close quarters backs into a load-bearing column, causing it to partially detach from where it meets with the ceiling.
Let’s imagine your worker is conscientious and notices the damage right away. They stop the forklift and report a large dent in the machine, in addition to the damage to the post and ceiling.
As the manager, you’re obligated to evacuate the area, in case the ceiling collapses, which could cause injuries. Even minor injuries could result in workers compensation claims and having to run short staffed.
Then there’s the cost to repair the forklift and the structural damage. You can file a property insurance claim, but that will raise the insurance rates for the business. And while you’re shut down, your company is losing money by the hour — a bad situation any way you look at it.
Now, what if the warehouse is loud, and the forklift operator doesn’t even realize they hit a post that’s vital to the building’s support structure? A ceiling collapse could cause even worse damage, potentially injuring employees.
All that could be avoided with the right column protection.
If you’re still not sure if column guards are a worthwhile investment for warehouse safety, consider these statistics:
- Forklift collisions and accidents are one of the top three causes of injuries in warehouse environments. (Struck-by injuries are the second highest cause, often related to falling objects or the undermining of support structures.)
- OSHA statistics log 100 fatal injuries in forklift-related incidents annually.
- Eleven percent of all fork trucks are involved in an accident each year, according to OSHA.
- Information from the National Safety Council reveals that a worker injury costs employers an average of $38,000 in direct costs (e.g., medical bills) and another $150,000 in equipment damage, loss of productivity, and training of replacement workers.
- OSHA fines for warehouse workplace hazards range from $12,600 to $126,000.
Those numbers don’t even include the costly damage expenses of having to conduct building repairs or shoulder higher insurance premiums after an accident, which can run in the tens or hundreds of thousands.
How Building Column Protectors Work
Column protectors work in three ways to reduce costs associated with managing warehouses, loading docks, parking structures, manufacturing facilities, and similar building structures.
First, they call attention to various structural elements, so forklift operators or workers can avoid them altogether. The best line of defense in protecting columns is to prevent accidents. You’ll find column guards used on all of these structures:
- Columns
- Poles
- Beams
- Tubes
- Pipes
- Pillars
- Posts
- Lights
If an accident does happen, warehouse column protectors offer impact protection to minimize or eliminate damage to both the vehicle involved and the building structure. Your business saves money on two fronts when you don’t have to worry about forklift repairs or column damage that could shut down operations or cause expensive injuries.
Our Eagle plastic column protectors are made of heavy duty, 100 percent high-density polyethylene (HDPE), which is a superior material for handling thousands of pounds of impact energy at normal driving speeds.
Column protectors wrap around the structure to protect beams, columns, poles, and pillars. They use a key-lock mechanism for a tight fit with no slippage, with nylon straps providing extra security to hold them in place.
Warehouse column protectors made of HDPE are lightweight compared to steel column protectors, and only weigh 30-40 pounds in total. They install quickly and easily with no additional tools needed, which make them attractive for businesses that run on lean staff to save money.
What’s the Best Column Protection?
The best pole protector is the one that ideally suits your column, beam, or pole, based on shape, size, and visibility.
First, determine whether you need a round, diamond shaped (aka V-profile) or square column guard. You want the interior opening of the column protector to match the geometry of the pole.
Next, measure the width of the pole. You also need the column protector opening to be sized properly for the pole’s dimensions. For the best impact absorption, the column guard should fit snugly without shifting around.
The height of the column protector may vary with placement. Our safety yellow classic column protectors come in standard sizes of 42 inches high and suit many situations.
However, if you have a fire extinguisher, phone, intercom, alarm, or light mounted on a post, you may need to accommodate it by using a mini column protector. This pole protector is only 24 inches high, so it safeguards the base of the pole but doesn’t interfere with whatever is mounted above.
Do you need a column protector with extra visibility beyond the typical red or yellow color? Try a hi-visibility model from Eagle. Available in lime green or orange with reflective straps, this style of column guard is perfect for low-light situations, like dark corners, basements, garages, and outside after sunset.
Protect Your Building with Column Protectors from Eagle
Don’t worry about damage to columns and similar support structures when you purchase column protectors from Eagle. You can focus on other important duties, knowing your building is safeguarded from costly accidents.
Eagle also supplies other important material handling safety products for high traffic areas, including rack protection, bollards and bollard covers, guard rails and more. If you wish to place a bulk order, our team can assist you with selection and pricing. Have questions about our products? Call Eagle at 800-798-9250, or get in touch online to let us know how we can help.