Accident prevention infrastructures are a vital need for everyone. Many people get involved in accidents while working or just having fun. Annually, many accidents are recorded in different places. These accidents occur on highways, high buildings, bridges, and many other areas.
Jobs like civil engineering, electrical engineering, telecommunications, scaffolding, plumbing, and many others require people to work on highways, tall buildings, and many other dangerous places. Accidents happen in these places due to a lack of safety precautions and infrastructure.
It is vital to make provisions for safety in these dangerous areas. Injuries sustained from accidents can be devastating and traumatic. There are safety precautions that must be followed while working in these places. These precautions could be just a simple machine maintenance or a laserglow for forklift. Some infrastructures must be put in place to avoid accidents. One such infrastructure is the guardrail system.
What are guardrails ?
Guardrails are safety structures that stop individuals and objects from tripping over or sliding into dangerous areas. They act as a border or barrier structure to separate passageways from other locations. Guardrails are used in many open places to prevent accidents where people could fall or lose control of themselves.
Where are Guardrails used ?
Guardrails have wide usage across many facets of life. They are usually found in places where accidents can occur. Some of these include highways, railways, bridges, high-rise buildings, and many other dangerous places.
Highway Guardrails
Accidents occur on highways due to many reasons. Drunk driving, overspeeding, and overtaking are some of the reasons these accidents occur. Sometimes, drivers lose control of cars at very high speeds. Guardrails are vital as they prevent vehicles from sliding off the road. They serve as a stop for cars sliding or speeding out of control. These structures help to avoid many accidents and fatalities.
Bridge Guardrails
The guardrails on bridges serve the same purpose as the ones on highways. Bridge guardrails also serve as protection for pedestrians using bridges. It is more vital to install guardrails on bridges than on highways. The reason is that bridge accidents often result in more fatalities. Also, many people have a phobia of heights and cannot use bridges without protective infrastructures.
Rooftop Guardrails
Many people’s jobs require them to climb up the roof of buildings. Staying on rooftops is a fun activity for other people. Falling is an accident associated with such activities. Many life-threatening injuries can result from falling. It is vital to have protective infrastructures to prevent falling accidents. Guardrails are the most crucial protective elements that every rooftop should have.
Railway Guardrails
Guardrails are one of the most vital infrastructures in the rail system. They are installed on rail tracks to keep the wheels of trains aligned. The guardrails are crucial in preventing trains from derailing. They are often installed near sites with limited clearance, such as level crossings, trestles, bridges, and tunnels.
Many people work in risky terrains due to advancements in infrastructural development. The risks associated with working in such places cannot be overstated. Life-threatening injuries and deaths have been recorded. These casualties are often due to disregard of safety precautions and the absence of protective infrastructures. The guardrail system is a vital infrastructure that must be installed at risky workplaces to prevent avoidable accidents and casualties.
