Lift Trucks: Polymer barriers deflect skepticism

Health care giant Kimberly-Clark operates a site in Flint, North Wales, that had been experiencing persistent problems with its lift trucks impacting a particular section of steel barrier. After successfully replacing it with a flexible engineered polymer, the company has installed the same product in facilities worldwide.

When impacted, steel barriers damaged the lift truck and the floor, ripping fixtures and fittings out of the concrete. The company was forced to replace the same barrier repeatedly, incurring large costs over a sustained period.

The new barriers are able to absorb, control and dissipate impacts by accounting for the energy carried by the forklift as well as the height and angle of impacts.

“I have to admit we were extremely skeptical, but we were willing to offer them a trial. I expected it would be ripped up by the forklift in a week,” says safety technician Stewart Leary. “I don’t think anyone believed it would stand up to the test or fare any better than the system we had in place previously.”

Five months later, the barrier is still intact and functioning. “It more than did the job,” Stewart said, “and it was the catalyst to review the site and start replacing all steel barriers. The resilience of the material and its ability to deflect and bend under loads decreases the risk to drivers and pedestrians as well as the need for constant repair.”

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