Advanced polymer technology vs steel

Traditional steel guardrails are costly, difficult to maintain, and often not fit for industrial environments. A-SAFE products are uniquely designed for the toughest industrial workplaces.

The benefits of A-SAFE polymer guardrails

Improved safety

Improved safety

Designed to stop forklift trucks and other industrial vehicles, A-SAFE guardrails offer huge reductions in daily operating risk, minimizing accidents and injuries.

Return on investment

Return on investment

A-SAFE guardrails are scientifically engineered to withstand multiple impacts with no repair or replacement costs, no floor damage and no need for painting.

Tested and compliant

Tested and compliant

The most heavily tested safety barriers in the world, A-SAFE polymer safety barriers are impact rated, compliant with code of practice PAS 13 and verified by TÜV Nord.

Discover the benefits of A-SAFE vs steel

Contact our safety experts for more information

Book a consultation

Steel: Unfit for industrial workplace safety

Steel crash barriers were invented in the 1930s for use on roads and highways. They haven’t changed since and are too often a cheap, disposable approach to workplace safety. They are not designed to withstand the weights and forces in modern industrial facilities, which results in massive long-term costs in frequent repairs and replacements. 

The ROI of A-SAFE vs Steel

On average A-SAFE customers receive a return on their investment within 18 months and continue to save year after year.

Download our guide to learn more.


Common problems with steel guardrails

Floor damage

Floor damage

Steel barriers cannot absorb all the energy of an impact from an industrial vehicle. The excess energy usually ends up being transferred to the floor, damaging the concrete surface, resulting in costly repairs to floors and guardrails. A-SAFE guardrails are designed to disperse impact energy within the barrier, preventing floor damage.

Rusting and chipping

Rusting and chipping

Steel guardrails rust and need regular painting. This paint can chip and flake. Not only is this a hygiene hazard, it means time wasted on repainting. A-SAFE polymer barriers stay bright and visible, don’t rust, and never need painting, saving you time and money.

Frequent replacements

Frequent replacements

Rigid steel will deform and bend permanently after even light impacts from heavy industrial vehicles. Engineered to flex and fully recover from repeat impacts, the unique polymer design of A-SAFE guardrails eliminates these replacement costs to save your maintenance budget.

Damage to vehicles

Damage to vehicles

In fast-paced industrial facilities, bumps and scrapes to vehicles are common. Steel barriers will damage trucks with every little impact. From scraped paintwork to dented bodywork, this damage can be costly, particularly if your vehicles are hired. The A-SAFE advanced polymer blend, Memaplex, prevents damage to vehicles by cushioning impacts.

Contact us to learn more about our world-class safety solutions
Book a consultation

Latest generation polymer guardrails

A-SAFE introduced the original flexible polymer safety barrier in 2001 and, now on our third-generation system, we’ve continued to develop products that protect the toughest of modern industrial environments.  Our original flexible polymer guardrail design revolutionised the industry and sparked a range of cheaply made copycat products.

Multi-component engineering: a revolution in guardrail design

The latest generation range improves on the original product significantly, introducing new patented materials and multi-component engineering that cannot be rivalled.

Heavily tested and impact-rated protection

All A-SAFE guardrail products are rigorously tested and come with an impact rating as standard. This helps you to compare products and ensure the resistance strength of safety barriers will be fit for purpose in your facility.

Fabricated steel is usually untested and has no impact rating. It is impossible to know how it will fare against the vehicles in your industrial facility.

Find out how A-SAFE guardrails are the most rigorously tested in the world.

Testing
"Like many companies, we have found great difficulty with traditional steel barriers getting damaged and constantly needing maintenance. By using the A-SAFE barrier range, we feel we now have a long-term solution"
Health & Safety Manager, Smurfit Kappa
"Whilst we considered traditional steel barriers, A-SAFE was considered to be the best option. It is the most cost-effective - especially in the long-term - and is easy to maintain if damaged."
Specialist Senior Health & Safety, Toyota UK
"We build on recycled material, that is our ethos. So, when you look at the A-SAFE product and what it is capable of doing from a sustainability perspective, that ticks all boxes for us."
Steff Williams - Director of Safety, Sonoco Europe

Explore A-SAFE

Products Products Safety solutions Products
Industrial solutions Industrial solutions Industries & Sectors Industrial solutions
Survey & Installation Survey & Installation Services Survey & Installation
Technical downloads Technical downloads Resources Technical downloads
Discover how A-SAFE can help protect your facility

Contact our safety experts today to arrange your free, no-obligation consultation.

Book a consultation Find out more

To give you the best website user experience we use anonymized Google Analytics and Google Adwords tracking to report on website traffic. By continuing to browse this website you accept that cookies may be stored on your device. Learn more about our Cookies Policy and Privacy Policy.