15 Jan Will a RAMGuard Column Actually Protect My Pallet Rack?
Nothing is scarier than accidentally making contact with a rack and wondering if it is about to fall. Videos and gifs of this problem exist. The sharing of these videos and gifs is popular. It is because the results of a collision are frightening. We understand the need to be economical but sometimes that choice means that you accept more risk with the usage of some of those solutions. Can you mitigate the risk? The answer is yes depending on the situation and cause. RamGuard column protectors do this job admirably.
The RAMGuard Solution:
One of the solutions you may have seen or heard of is the RAMGuard. This innocuous piece of equipment does not seem like much even in person. In fact, if you see it in person, then you might think it is just a piece of plastic. Honestly, you could easily be forgiven to think that because it looks like just a piece of plastic that would crumble under the weight of a blow from a forklift. You may even be confused after touching it because it feels like a piece of rubber, that is, admittedly, solid but still feels like rubber. Notwithstanding, the fact that it feels like rubber makes many people feel that it would bounce back. However, that does not mean that the rack column behind it can withstand the blow as well. Thankfully, there was a lot put into this product beyond, “let us just use a thick rubber surface to protect the column of a rack”.
Materials in the RAMGuard column protectors:
The first thing you should know is that the rubber is specially made for this purpose. The manufacturer says that they took two years to find the right mixture that satisfied their requirements for what a product meant to take a blow and keep a column standing should be. After they did that they decided to add a steel insert inside of that initial barrier. They made that steel plate into a U shape so that the guard would have protection from all sides that would take significant damage from an impact. In this case, the side facing the inside of the rack is very unlikely to take damage because it is inside the rack. It is highly unlikely that a force inside the rack would be able to generate enough force to buckle a rack without an outside force’s help. If it would take an outside force then you would, likely, have another RAMguard for that area that would dissipate the force of the impact. They also added rubber voids. The voids help distribute the energy from the collision. It is greatly lessened as a final measure.
Does it do the job?
The answer to whether or not this will protect your pallet rack is, “very likely”. A lot of variables exist such as the weight of the impact, the velocity of the impact object, and such. Those factors make it a very inaccurate statement to say, with a blanket statement, yes to all impacts. If you have a forklift coming at it with excessive speeds, such as 30 to 40 miles per hour, then it will probably fail. However, if you are in that same forklift and impacting the unit at a reasonable speed. Speeds consistent with removing and placing stock on the pallet rack then the RAMGuard will likely do its job. If so, then, you avoid a possible lawsuit. It also avoids injures to your employees. Risk is inherent in any business venture. Mitigating the risk, to the best of your ability, is always a good idea for profitability. It is also good for safety and the bottom line of your business.
Want a few of these RAMGuard Column Protection units for your pallet rack? Click here and learn more about it and get a few for your business.
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