How to Tell if Your Bollards Are Actually Safe

More and more, businesses and municipalities install artistically pleasing bollards to enhance cityscapes and control access to specific areas. While appearance and access control are important, bollard safety depends on structural integrity and certified crash ratings to shield pedestrians and buildings. Learn why a structurally sound and crash-rated bollard matters for pedestrian and property safety.

How Do Bollards Work?

Bollards protect infrastructure, property and patrons from vehicle damage by separating car and foot traffic. The bollards create a perimeter, marking off safe zones where customers and staff can walk without concern for vehicle traffic. Drivers can clearly see where they can drive, reducing the risk of entering pedestrian areas.

The bollard’s structural design and its ability to withstand significant force are two important factors in maintaining this separation in the event of a collision. These factors are what crash ratings measure.

Features of Crash-Rated Bollards

Safety bollards go beyond perimeter security and are designed to resist vehicle impact. These bollards have features such as steel construction to maintain structural integrity and permanent and removable mount types to adapt to traffic flow.

Crash-rated bollards have been tested against industry-recognized safety standards, certifying their durability and resistance to impact from a car. ASTM F3016 bollards stop vehicles up to 5,000 pounds going between 9 and 32.5 mph, while ASTM F2656 bollards stop 15,000-pound vehicles between 30 and 50 mph.

Why Structural Soundness and Crash Ratings Are Critical to Make Bollards Safe

Common issues with bollards can compromise crash performance, making them unable to provide protection. Some characteristics that impact safety include:

• Movement when anchored: Crash-rated bollards may fail if the anchoring system to the concrete or a base plate is compromised. If the concrete or base plate is loose and moves around due to foundation cracks or corroded bolts, the bollard will be ineffective at transferring impact force, which can make its crash rating irrelevant.
• Corrosion and rust: While surface rust may not be a concern, corrosion undermines the bollard’s structural integrity. Corrosion compromises the bollard’s ability to resist impact, which can cause it to crumple instead of providing protection. Corroded bollards are identifiable by orange streaks or bubbling, flaking paint.
• Major dents and dings: Crash-rated bollards are engineered to distribute impact forces to protect your building structure from impact. After a vehicle impact, bollards may have major cracks, dents and bends. This level of impact weakens the internal structure, so its crash-rated performance cannot be guaranteed in another crash. Replacement is critical to restore protection.

Order Safety Bollards From Blockaides Today

When your industrial facility or retail storefront needs protection for pedestrians and property, trust in the proven, certified protection of crash-rated bollards from Blockaides. We have low- and high-speed bollards to keep your property, building and patrons safe from collisions, guaranteed by rigorous testing to ASTM standards. Contact us today to learn more about safety bollards, or shop our crash bollards online.