The formal definition of a safety bollard is a ridgid protective device designed to provide a progressively increasing resistance to bending and/or deformation on impact by a vehicle, whereby the force of impact is progressively absorbed by the bollard, post or stanchion and deformation of the vehicle whereby the vehicle is progressively decelerated.

The informal definition: Safety bollards are solid vertical posts usually constructed from steel pipe that protect the edge of overhead door openings, supporting beams, racking, personnel work areas or any object that is in danger. Bollards are simply another form of Security to prevent damage by vehicles to include fork trucks, skid steers, or fork lifts in the work place. Bollards usually are mounted to the floor in one fashion or another and stand vertical as illustrated in the image above.

What are Safety Bollards made of?

This depends on the application. There are heavy, medium and light duty designs. Heavy and medium duty Bollards are typically constructed from heavy or thin wall steel pipe depending on the application. The top of a bollard will usually have a welded or plastic cap. Heavier built units as illustrated above will come with square welded base plate that usually has pre-drilled holes for mounting it to the floor. Pre-built steel bollards usually are only available in safety yellow unless specified. Economy bollards are made of plastic and do not offer the protection as solid steel units do. Plastic units are more for visual safety awarness rather than impact protection and are usually available in a few more colors than steel bollards. 

Are there accessories for Safety Bollards?

Yes, about the only accessory available is the bollard sleeve. Ths sleeve is a hollow plastic injection molded cover that is usually caped off on the top end and designed to slide over solid steel Safety Bollards. The intended use for the Bollard Sleeve is to help reduce damage to vehicles and to the bollard in the event they collide or to simply make an older solid style bollard look like new and increase it's visibility. These sleeves also work well with heavy steel bollards in industrial applications that are large diameter pipe filled with concrete. Sleeves are perfect in this application as they are designed to fit over just about any diameter pipe and can be trimmed to length. Once installed, the sleeve gives a plain concrete filled safety bollard an attractive cosmetic facelift that will add to the aesthetics of any building or facility. 

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