How to Make the Right Choice When Buying or Installing Guardrail?
What do you do when you need something? You Google it right! When you need a guardrail, selecting the suitable barrier requires more involvement than initially expected. It can be overwhelming with so many options. You find out that there are so many options available. GI, SS, FRP Aluminum, Welded, Non-penetrating, … The possibilities go on. With all of this in front of you, how do you make the right choice? You should consider many points and features available while you make this decision. 1. What is the application of the guardrail?2. Where do you need the guardrail?3. how long do you need the guardrail to last?4. What codes apply to your guardrails?5. How fast do you need the guardrail to install?6. How do you want the guardrail to look? We’ll review each area you should consider while making this decision. 1. What is the application of the guardrail? It’s a simple question but an important one. There are a few factors that will change the type of guardrail that you need.If you need the industrial guardrail for protection, then you need to make sure that the guardrail meets the standards applicable to you, like BIS, OSHA, or EN. The type of protection you need would also change the guardrail you want. We suggest using a 40 NB Structural Fittings based modular pipe guardrail for fall protection. However, the size and code will change if you want a more robust barrier system to protect people from forklift traffic. If you need to use it as a warning line, then the requirements are easier to manage by light duty handrail. Then it would help if you considered whether the guardrail would be temporary or permanent. For example, if you plan on taking the guardrail down when the work is done, then you want to focus on temporary guardrails like a parapet clamp guardrail or temporary guardrail. On the other hand, if you wish for the guardrail to remain in place so that the working or walking surface is always protected, then you want a system designed to stay in place. 2. Where is the guardrail going? The most common locations that we see are STP, ETP, WTP, Industrial Buildings perimeter, Solar rooftop, and machine guarding. Other potential sites include a mezzanine, a dock, or inside a warehouse. Each location has its own set of considerations that would change the guardrail you choose. Weather plays a role in the system that you choose. Saline and water-rich areas, corrosive gas fumes, snow, and heavy rain will corrode the material if you don’t choose carefully. If you live in a windy area, you’ll want to ensure that any system is designed to meet your local requirements. Ensure that you take this into account so that you don’t have a guardrail flying off your structure, damaging equipment, or, more importantly, putting lives at risk. The roof material will influence how you want to mount a guardrail. If you have a roof warranty, you don’t want to lose it by poking holes in the roof. If you don’t have a roof warranty, then you don’t want to exasperate potential roof leaks by poking holes in the roof. A complete modular aluminum lightweight guardrail constructed from tube clamp fittings is an ideal solution. 3. How long do you need the guardrail to last? You may think this is a meaningless question, but I see the answer to this is ignored more often than you realize. A cheaper short-term solution will cost less initially, but when you consider money, energy, and time spent on maintenance and replacing that mean stuff, it becomes more costly. Guardrail is not immune to this problem. Some options are temporary and used for permanent solutions because they are cheaper. However, those savings come at a cost. Powder-coated steel will not last as long as galvanized steel, and you will have to replace the railing sooner than you expect. Welding has pros and cons as well. The weld points will be an area of accelerated corrosion despite galvanization. Aluminum and SS 316 do not rust and provide a better life in a humid and corrosive environment. If you only need it for a year or two, then buying a lower-quality option may make sense. However, if you want something that will protect people long, you need to stop and ask yourself if the option you’re considering will do just that. 4. What codes apply to your guardrail? We found a lack of understanding, most often in this area. We noticed in India IS 4912 code is ancient and needs updating as per OSHA or EN code. They talk about a lot and set the minimum safety standard that employers must provide. For rooftops, we do not have any set standards. Edge protection and safety in roof work require an area of consideration. Check your local regulations and company standard to select the correct guardrail.You might have a presumption that welded railing only offers good strength. Still, proven evidence is that EnduRail built from Structural Fittings and slip-on pipe fittings, has surpassed the load requirement of OSHA and EN standards if configured correctly. 5. How fast do you need the guardrail to install? Installing guardrails is part of project management. Procurement and execution both involve proper detailing. Mild steel welded guardrail needs site welding, grinding, and post-fabrication sandblasting and painting. All are time-consuming and skilled staff requirement jobs. Prefabricated GI railing management is not easy. You have to consider volume management and transit damages. If a small part needs modification or procurement, the handover process will get delayed and, in turn, project. A modular aluminum guardrail system is easy to procure, manage and install without a skilled workforce. Procure structural fittings and pipes in pre-coated finish and start the installation as the project progresses. On-site modification and dismantling are also easy if required. 6. How do you want the guardrail to look? Why does the look of the guardrail matter if safety is the only important thing?
Why Aluminum tubular fittings offer the best solution for handrails?
Handrail and guardrail systems play a vital role in providing a safe barrier between people and hazards, so it’s essential that you can always guarantee the performance of the system and that its integrity is maintained many years after installation. Fabricated handrails Many people believe that fabricated handrails offer greater strength and stability and are quick to install as they’re fabricated on-site/off-site and then simply installed into place. While fabricating off-site may be a faster solution for other forms of construction, it’s not the case when it comes to safety barrier systems. Designing a fabricated handrail is not a quick process. Firstly, a detailed site survey is required before drawings can be prepared. Once the design is finalized, sections are then fabricated off-site before the system can be installed on-site by a skilled worker. Installation on-site also requires welding which in turn leads to several health and safety implications, for example special work permits will be required for on-site welding. Fabrication does not guarantee strength and stability. Fabricating a system involves cutting which breaches the metal’s anti-corrosion properties, this is further compromised by the on-site welding. Corrosion properties can be restored by applying zinc rich paint, but this must be applied meticulously otherwise it could merely offer protection to the external welded area only. The tube could still be unprotected internally which will lead to corrosion over time. The problem here is that the corrosion won’t be evident until it is too late which could mean the barrier breaks or collapses when it is supposed to be offering protection at a critical moment. If a fabricated structure is found to be faulty, then damaged sections will need to be cut out and a new section welded. The new section will then need to be prefabricated off-site and then transported to the location. Handrails made from Aluminum Structural fittings An alternative to fabricating handrail and guardrail systems is to construct them with tubular fittings / structural fittings / slip-on fittings. Fittings offer a more flexible and quicker solution. There’s no need for detailed site surveys, a simple layout drawing showing where to place the uprights is all that’s required before construction of the barrier can begin. In addition, systems are easy to install and require no special welding, work permits or skilled labour. Fittings tend to be aluminum structural castings in mill finish / anodized /powder coated along with precoated pipes so systems constructed from modular fittings and pipes are more resilient to corrosion, in some cases lasting up to 10 times longer than fabricated ones. In harsh environments of water treatment or sewage treatment plants and at saline area near sea or Desalination plant, Aluminium structural tubular fittings will provide the highest level of corrosion resistance. Fit it and forget it. No maintenance is required for many years and modular so you can remove an reinstall if required. The Modular handrail solution Fittings have proven their longevity and resistance to the harsh environments at many locations all over the world for many years, e.g. at Water Security Mega Reservoir- PRSP1, Package-A,B,C,D ,Qatar General electricity and Water Corporation, Qatar. Al Madina Al Shamaliya STP, Ministry of Housing Bahrain, Bahrain SWTP-9 Phase 1, MARAFIQ Sewage Treatment Plant project at Jubail, KSA Reliance Jamnagar, Adani Hazira Port, Ultratech Cement, Torrent Pharma, India
Advantages Modular Handrailing has to offer over Steel Handrails?
While steel handrail has often been used for decades; it is only because at the time it was the best option available. With the advancement in technology however, steel is not the best option anymore and can pose some serious safety hazards as well as financial burden. The case against steel is quite solid and when it comes to having the safest workplace and the most economical structural solutions, steel just does not make the cut due to high maintenance and early replacement due to corrosion. There are numerous reasons why steel handrail is a fading trend and being replaced with aluminum Modular Safety Handrailing solution. Many plants and other industrial workplaces are making the switch to more durable and modular handrailing of aluminum – EnduRail from Chemey. Why EnduRail®? Aluminum is proved to have Lowest Life Cycle cost when Total Cost of Ownership is considered, since over its entire lifespan, an aluminum structure may prove to be the best option in terms of installation, maintenance, operation, and disposition costs. The case for ALUMINIUM becomes even stronger when the project is in a Highly Corrosive Environment like STP/ETP/Coastal area. (* A Report by Deloitte Inc., with Aluminum Association of Canada) It provides a safe, the most cost effective, reliable, durable, and versatile barrier system to your Railing requirement when you need to protect people, equipment, or your on-site inventory. Advantages of EnduRail Modular Handrailing Easy Installation & Design Long Lasting -No recurring maintenance cost Modular Design – can be removed and reinstall. Anti-Spark – Safe in area pertaining to Spark hazard. No Welding or Special skill or permissions on site Compliance: OSHA 1910.29 / EN 14122-3 EnduRail -all aluminum modular handrail offers a strategic integrated Guard and Safety Railing solutions to meet your safety requirements with absolute confidence for industrial structures, loading docks, walkways, Effluent Treatment Plants, and railings in aggressive coastal environments. To start any handrail project just plan for pipe, fittings, and simple tools. Mark chalk line and base flange positions. Drill anchor hole and start installation by cutting pipes of required size. There is no welding, threading or special permits required when you use Endurail modular handrailing in your projects saving you both time and money. Keep viewing more at Endurail Projects & Advantage – https://youtu.be/9GlOv59vjpo
Simple Solution for Non-Simple Handrail Projects
EnduRail Structural pipe fitting, also known as a slip-on pipe fitting, tube clamp fittings, or pipe clamp is used to build structures such as handrails, guardrails, modular barricades, solar panel support, and other types of pipe or tubular structure. Endurail fittings are the best option for DIY enthusiasts for more creative applications such as bench, coffee table, modular GYM, clothing racks, shelves, and building architectural use. Because of the modular design of standard fittings, assembly is easy without welding or threading and only simple hand tools are required. There are endless possibilities to build tubular structures as there are more than 50 types of slip-on pipe fittings combine in many ways to create any custom structure. Fittings used are aluminum alloy castings, and come in many styles such as elbows, tees, crosses, flanges, and adjustable tube clamp fittings. The fittings are not threaded; they simply lock onto the pipe with the supplied hex set screws. The primary advantage of Endurail fittings is its simplicity to use. The fittings slip on the pipe and are usually locked down with a set screw. Using only an allen key when the knurl point set screw is tightened down it locks the fittings into the pipe and a connection equivalent to a weld is created. Do not let its simplicity fool you into thinking the connection is week. Endurail fittings are rated for more than 400 kg of pull-out force. This strength qualifies for use in most industrial applications. Other advantages of using structural pipe fittings are easy installation and reconfigurable design. Since there are no permanent welds in the structure, the set screws of the fittings can simply be loosened, allowing them to be repositioned. The project can be disassembled and stored if needed, or even taken apart with fittings and pipe recycled into a new project. Keep viewing more on structural pipe fittings @ https://youtu.be/j2URpQK-9Jk To start any handrail project just plan for pipe, fittings, and simple tools. Mark chalk line and base flange positions. Drill anchor hole and start installation by cutting pipes of required size. There is no welding, threading or special permits required when you use Endurail modular handrailing in your projects saving you both time and money. Keep viewing more at Endurail Projects & Advantage – https://youtu.be/9GlOv59vjpo
