An Quick Guide for PAS 13 Regulations Regarding Safety Barriers

If you’re going to increase the security of your entire facility, you need to make sure your security barriers are reliable. PAS 13 is considered the ultimate guide to safety barriers. We’ve written this guide to help you understand PAS 13 and how it can help you.

1. PAS 13: Code of Practice for Safety Barriers

1) What is PAS 13?

PAS 13 is the global code of practice for installing and testing safety barriers. It provides best-practice guidance for the proper installation of security barriers throughout a facility. This includes guidance on how best to arrange barrier systems, focusing on pedestrian separation, traffic management, and effective protection of machinery and buildings.

In addition to this, PAS 13 guides the most effective methods of testing security barriers to ensure they are compliant and have appropriate performance ratings.

2) Who Developed the Safety Barrier Guidelines?

PAS 13 files were created by the British Standards Institution (BSI). It was designed with the help of an expert steering group that included health and safety executives and a group of leading brands from across industries and sectors. It was created to establish a set of guidelines around the proper installation of safety barriers, which could then become an industry standard.

PAS 13 also provides instructions on the correct method of testing security barriers to ensure they provide the relevant protection required on-site.

3) Who is BSI?

BSI is the world’s first national standards body. They are appointed by the UK government and hold a Royal Charter to set globally recognized standards that encourage people and organizations to operate more efficiently.

4) Who are the members of the PAS 13 Expert Steering Group?

BSI has worked with a range of blue chip companies from different industries around the world to develop the PAS 13 Code of Conduct. Partners include:

• Jaguar Land Rover
• DHL Express
• TÜV Nord
• Nestle
• Mars
• Royal Institute of British Architects Enterprise

The Steering Group was able to identify the relevant needs of industries such as manufacturing, distribution, and food and beverage processing.

5) Who is TÜV Nord?

TÜV Nord is one of the world’s leading certification and inspection bodies. Their remit covers a wide range of industries and technologies in which they provide independent expert inspections. Regarding PAS 13, TÜV Nord is a member of the Steering Group and certifies safety barriers per PAS 13.

2. Safety Barrier Regulations: PAS 13, Traffic Management and Accident Prevention

The mandate of PAS 13 is to cover two specific areas of safety barrier applications. The first is the correct configuration and installation of safety barriers, taking into account the use of safety barriers in traffic management and pedestrian protection.

1) Border Crossing

In busy facilities, intersections can be hot spots for incidents. PAS 13 provides details on how to best configure intersections to minimize the likelihood of accidents through a combination of traffic flow management and pedestrian segregation. The aim is to encourage pedestrians and drivers to stop and consider potential risks before approaching an intersection.
PAS 13 outlines ways to improve intersection safety using:

• Raised walkways where possible
• cross door configuration
• Offset doorways to slow pedestrians entering and passing through the facility
• Use brakes to slow down pedestrians
• Application of sidewalk doors that do not impede evacuation in emergencies

2) Traffic Management

As part of its terms of reference, PAS 13 addresses ways to efficiently manage traffic through busy factories and warehouses. The Code of Practice details ways to minimize the risks posed by vehicles on site, including:

• Planning vehicle and pedestrian routes to cooperate
• separate pedestrians
• work in a one-way system
• Use the funnel system to divert vehicles away from vulnerable areas of the site

Among other things, PAS 13 ensures that vehicle routing

• Is the width of the vehicle appropriate?
• Avoid slopes and sharp turns
• signposted correctly
• Free of obstructions and well-maintained

3) Armrest

To ensure that pedestrians are properly supported while walking in busy facilities, PAS 13 outlines the practical application of effective handrails. Proper use of handrails and railings can make all the difference in whether or not your workers are safe. PAS 13 Overview:

• The benefit of a higher fulcrum is to prevent people from falling from the side
• Optimal Strength for Pedestrian Barriers (Supports Two Adults Leaning)
• The benefit of smooth surface areas and no sharp edges is to reduce injuries

4) Safety Barrier Height

PAS 13 outlines the importance of ensuring that obstacle heights match the area of ​​influence and the type of vehicle operating. To be fully effective, barriers must be protected at the proper height. This includes:

• Consider the height of the vehicle impact zone
• Make sure obstacles are tested with real-life simulations
• Effective ground protection must be installed to prevent vehicle forklifts
• Critical infrastructure and machinery should be properly protected

5) Line of Sight

Installing safety barriers and bollards is an effective way to prevent unwanted impacts on machinery, infrastructure, and workers, but you must consider sightlines to ensure they are properly adhered to. PAS 13 addresses the need to consider sightlines for pedestrians and drivers of on-site vehicles, including:

• Incorporate line of sight into the planning of safety systems
• Consider the POV of drivers and pedestrians
• Provide articulated vehicle drivers with clear visual cues

6) Pedestrian Isolation

PAS 13 outlines the importance of effectively separating pedestrian and vehicular routes with safety barriers. The code of practice states that a safety barrier is required between the pavement and the vehicular route if the distance between the pavement and the vehicular route is less than 1 meter and is not separated by a raised curb. Pedestrian barriers are not required in areas where manual vehicles such as pallet trucks are operated.
The Code of Conduct also addresses:

• Plan pedestrian routes around with lines as much as possible
• Appropriate sidewalk width
• Consider guardrail deflection zones to protect pedestrians
• Use raised curbs to keep vehicles off the track
• Safe Zones to adjust vision between areas with different light levels
• Use appropriate logos and color divisions
• Offset doorways from intersections and use gates to slow down pedestrians

7) Buildings and Equipment

In addition to protecting employees, it is also important to protect valuable equipment and structures on site. From walls, door frames, and columns to mechanical and electrical equipment, there are many vulnerable places in a factory or warehouse. It is important to identify these risks early. PAS 13guidesn effective protection. It provides advice on:

• Ground Protection for Vehicle Fork Structures
• Protect with highly visible bollards and barriers
• Create visual cues with signposts and floor markings
• Use funnel-designed entrances to guide vehicles away from vulnerable structures
• Softens dead spots on vehicle routes
• Leave room for barrier deflection zone

8) Standard Color Circle

For security systems to be effective, they must be visible. The primary function of barriers is to be seen in busy or crowded facilities. Visibility of security barriers and bollards can be achieved by repainting or using a system with self-colored designs. PAS 13 outlines the best way to utilize globally recognized standard color divisions, including:

• yellow and black for caution
• red and white for warning
• Green indicates pedestrian safety zones and exits

From effective traffic management to pedestrian isolation, we can help you purchase safety barriers. Additionally, we provide a range of safety products to ensure the safety of employees and machinery.

3. Test Safety Barriers According to PAS 13 Standard

To ensure safety barrier compliance, tests must use:

1) Correct Equipment

If you’re testing a security barrier, it’s important to make sure you have the right equipment. PAS 13 outlines the specific equipment required to perform compliant security barrier testing. These include:

• Each test has at least 2 obstacles
• Fixing the system for securing the barrier to the ground
• Wire marking material for test and deflection areas
• high-speed camera
• Standard camera for visual inspection

2) Compliant Vehicle

If you are testing safety barriers to ensure they can withstand the weight and speed specified by your vehicle, it is a good idea to make sure your test area is compliant. The test area must include a range of specifications, including:

• Sturdy sled with non-drug wheels
• No obstacles between the sled and the barrier
• Solid ramp construction with ramps
• Parallel ramp tracks or rails for guiding sleds
• Winch to pull the sled to the desired height
• A Velocimeter consisting of two pads or lasers to measure vehicle speed at impact

3) Properly prepared the affected area

For the most accurate results, it is important to set the area of ​​influence correctly. Settings include:

• Prepare bumper or forklift striker
• Attach the sled to the winch and install the appropriate weight
• The sleds are mostly guided by rails to prevent scratching or shifting
• Use speed traps to verify vehicle speed
• High-speed camera captures test for further analysis
• The test barrier must be solid and include marking lines to measure deflection

4) Procedure to Follow

After setting up your vehicle and equipment according to the guidelines, it is important to follow the correct procedures. A full testing program must be applied to these barrier components:

• end post
• railway center
• center column

When testing:

• Bollards must be tested at a height of 200-500mm
• Everyone who qualifies must take two new tests, each new test using a new obstacle
• Test the barrier at the highest and lowest temperatures that can be used
• Isolate test areas to ensure pedestrian safety
• Shock ratings must use a 5% safety factor – below the energy recorded in the test
• Document the results in the test report

5) What does a full test look like?

Once your vehicle and equipment are ready and you have followed the proper procedures, you are ready for an impact test. The video below shows what a proper test should look like.

6) Document and report your results

The data that needs to be collected during testing must then be compiled into standardized reports. The report contains details of the following information:

• Test Methods
• Barrier Description
• Environmental Rhythm and Humidity
• Masses and impactors used
• apply kinetic energy

Data captured during impact testing includes:

• Whether a guardrail or bollard passes or fails the test
• Deflection of obstacles on impact
• Force exerted on the fixture
• Any damage sustained by barriers or bollards

7) Pass or Failure Test

There are four criteria for a barrier to pass or fail the impact test:

• If the obstacle does not stop the test vehicle or striker
• Test barrier is breached by striker or vehicle
• If the barrier becomes structurally weak and damaged beyond performance
• If the fixture fails by being pulled out of the floor (probably because the test force was higher than the manufacturer’s rated force)

Contact us to learn how AOTONS Barriers can help you prevent unwanted vehicle collisions in your facility as they already meet the rigorous standards outlined in the PAS 13 testing guidelines.

4. FAQ

In addition to aiding site safety through the application of safety barriers, PAS 13 was created to standardize the testing of safety barriers. This is to ensure that any obstacle claiming to be compliant with PAS 13 complies with the valid testing rules outlined in the Code of Conduct.

1) Why are standardized tests important?

PAS 13 aims to improve the consistency of security barrier testing. By standardizing elements of the testing process, customers can be confident that a PAS 13-compliant barrier will withstand the forces specified in its impact rating.

2) What is an Impact Rating?

The impact rating is a number assigned by the manufacturer to show how much force a barrier can withstand in an impact. They are usually measured in joules and are the result of multiplying the vehicle’s mass by its velocity, taking into account the angle of impact.

These ratings give customers an idea of ​​how much force the barrier can withstand. When the data used to derive these ratings is not PAS 13 compliant, it can be difficult to know whether the information is accurate. This can put machinery and infrastructure at risk, or worse, mean people cannot be effectively protected from being hit by vehicles.

3) Can I trust barrier claims that do not comply with PAS 13?

Every manufacturer will have different specifications and claims about what their barriers can withstand, but it’s important to understand how this data is captured.

Guardrails complying with PAS 13 must declare an impact rating including a 5% safety factor. This means that the impact rating specified by the supplier is 5% lower than the force tested. This margin ensures that the barrier can withstand the specified impact force.

Some manufacturers provide an impact rating that reflects the force used to break the barrier during testing. While impact ratings may be higher than for PAS 13 compliant products, barriers are likely to fail when subjected to impacts of this force, rendering them ineffective and putting persons or objects behind the barrier at risk.

4) What other factors affect the impact level of a barrier provider?

Many factors affect the impact rating of a barrier. Barriers may fail upon impact if the vehicle is traveling faster than the recommended speed limit or carrying more than the specified load weight. Therefore, a standardized testing process is crucial. It ensures workplaces can effectively follow guidelines to minimize risks in the event of a collision.

Another factor that can affect the success of a security barrier is proper barrier height. Some manufacturers may suggest that low-level barriers can stop vehicles on-site without a specified height. In some cases, a sufficiently fast vehicle can drive over an obstacle instead of coming to a stop if the obstacle is too low.

5. Summary

At AOTONS, we are committed to raising safety standards in workplaces around the world. That’s why we helped drive the adoption of the PAS 13 Code of Practice – to ensure those who invest in safety barriers can feel confident in their choices.

Protect your warehouse, factory, or industrial facility with the right protection. With our PAS 13-compliant products and advice, we can help you reduce repair and maintenance costs by investing in long-lasting safety barriers. Contact our team member at +0532-86958235 or email info@aotons.com for more information.