WHERE TO USE EXPANDABLE BARRIERS

If you go to concerts or big sporting matches, then you’ve most probably seen a barrier for crowd control. Note, however, that this heavy cold-looking steel object is not the only type of barrier there is.

An increasing number of establishments now use expandable barriers in their operations. Aside from their flexibility, they are generally lighter compared to their steel counterparts making them more useful for a variety of purposes. 

Some areas where you can use expandable barriers

1. Commercial and retail areas

a) Temporary closures and restricted access

Like steel crowd control barriers, expandable barriers can be used to restrict people’s access to a building’s maintenance zones. Common uses of expandable barriers in commercial and retail environments include restricting access to elevators and escalators, when being repaired. The standard 3-metre expandable barrier is ideal for this use. This type of barrier is also used to block public passage or indicate denial of entry into unauthorised areas for security and safety reasons.

A light plastic temporary barrier is ideal for blocking any narrow passages, such as access ways to toilets. Measuring only 2.5 metres, the 3-metre’s little brother is just enough to cover small pathways. You can even use it to block individual stalls or doorways.

For wider areas, meanwhile, there’s the 5-metre standard variant. This is perfect for blocking access on the major walkways of shopping centres and other large commercial buildings. Large stadiums, which also have wide passageways designed to handle large crowds, use the 5-metre variant in order to block fans with tickets to one section from crossing into another.

b) Formation of lines and divisions

The point of having barriers is not to restrict access just for the sake of it, but for order and safety. As with other kinds of barriers, expandable ones can be used so people can form lines, especially in places with high foot traffic.

Dining establishments, most especially food courts or cafeterias, commonly use the 3-metre standard expandable barrier. This way, owners are easily able to distinguish who is lining up and waiting for their orders to be taken at their counters and who is not.

Shopping centre and sporting arena operators also use expandable barriers, particularly the 5-metre variant, to have people fall in line prior to entering its premises. The barriers, of course, must be placed on even surfaces. Using a long barrier is most appropriate at points where operators want to tighten security, since it forces patrons to go in a single file. This gives security personnel additional time to look at the faces and moves of those who come in.

Standard variants can also be used to divide audiences getting in line to buy their tickets for movies, concerts, and sporting events. Divisions can particularly be made according the seating section of the ticket they’re purchasing.

What’s good about expandable barriers for operators of large establishments is that they don’t have to leave these outside the premises after operation hours. They can easily collapse the barriers and put them in a storage facility. When it’s time to use them again, the barriers can be brought out easily with their light weight. They can then be expanded and used again.

2. Office buildings and units

Expandable barriers are useful in the workplace. As with commercial and retail establishments, standard variants can be deployed to block access to common areas undergoing maintenance work like elevators and escalators. They are also used for creating lines, specifically when entering the building’s premises for security purposes and in front of food outlets to avoid chaos when orders are being taken.

Offices with large lobby areas also utilise expandable barriers. Four units of either the standard 3-metre variant or the light 2.5-metre variant can be placed end to end to encircle the open area being blocked off. In many cases, these are either wet areas or damaged flooring sections and barriers are used to isolate hazards in areas with high foot traffic, such as lobbies.

The 2.5-metre light temporary barrier can also be used in office buildings to block access to public toilets in common areas for cleaning or maintenance. They can also be deployed in specific office units to block access either to individual toilets or maintenance areas.

3. Schools

Children, especially those in pre-school levels, tend to be full of energy and just run into anything they see. School floors need constant cleaning and mopping and the 2.5 and 3-metre variants are ideal to block off wet areas.

Since kids are involved, it’s recommended that extra signage indicating hazard or caution be placed by the barrier. No one wants them to sustain injuries in a place that cares for them.

4. Warehouses and price club outlets

Large facilities like warehouses – not usually accessible to the public – store items that may be bulky, fragile, or need special handling. While you have personnel you trust with these items, you as a business owner have to make it clear that not everyone working for you should be in all areas. Industrial expandable barriers are a great way to send that message loud and clear without shouting or risking losing your voice.

Industrial variants are also used by big box stores as they are designed like typical storage warehouses. But these stores need sturdy industrial barriers as they are accessed by the public and not just trained staff. Larger barriers are meant to protect customers from harm, specifically from supplies stored on high shelves during inventory. The imposing look of the barrier certainly signals to customers that they should keep away from aisles where stocktaking and other activities are happening during store hours.

Our industrial barriers will help you establish order and safety if used as part of a traffic management scheme inside your warehouse.

It’s important that industrial barriers, especially those placed in large facilities like warehouses and big box stores, be clearly seen. Aside from their imposing look, Verge has made sure of this by making the barriers available in yellow and black – contrasting colours that when painted together on a single object make it easily visible.