Warehouses can be dangerous places. It’s here that large machinery works at an inexorable pace, with forklifts and other vehicles moving around with heavy loads. Their paths intersect with people walking around the floor, as well as other potential hazards. That’s why it is important to have a traffic flow system which works, preventing accidents as much as possible while allowing goods to flow around the warehouse easily. It helps to keep everyone safe whilst also optimising the speed at which everything is done.
PVC curtains can be an integral part of this traffic flow, creating the right environment in which safety and speed can be combined. Here’s how you can count on them to help.
Separating Paths
When you have people and vehicles moving together in the same space, one of the best ways to prevent accidents is to separate their paths. But how can this be done without great expense to the company?
One idea is to use PVC strip curtains. These can be hung from the ceiling easily and moved around at will, as well as being pushed back out of the way when they are not in use. This creates a flexible barrier which also allows for a higher safety level. Should a vehicle need to swerve in an emergency situation, they won’t hit the wall and cause huge damage – the strip curtains will simply shift out of the way. In the meantime, vehicles drive on one side while people walk on the other. Best of all, they are able to see one another through the curtains, so if anyone is tempted to switch lanes, they can do so without risking an accident. This also protects against noise and air pollution, since the curtains will stop the sound of the vehicles and the exhaust fumes from pumping out into the same space as the people walking around.
Creating Doorways
One thing a PVC strip curtain is often used for is to create a doorway. By hanging the curtains between two distinct areas of a warehouse, you can create different areas which have one clear entry point. Here, vehicles and people can both pass through. They will only do so one at a time, because they can see one another through the curtains and will wait until it is safe to pass.
It also forces vehicles to slow down as they pass into another area. Rather than driving a forklift at full speed and causing an accident, the driver will slow to a crawl in order to pass through the PVC curtain. Once on the other side, they will be moving at a sensible pace, and will therefore be able to stop and avoid any accidents very easily.
Having a doorway like this has other benefits for a warehouse, too. It means that one area can be kept to a regulated temperature, as the PVC curtains will prevent the air from the other side from heating or cooling as it passes through. It also puts paid to noise pollution from heavy machinery seeping over into an area which is used for a different purpose.
Indicate Control
Finally, if you have your PVC strip curtains installed on a sliding rail, they can be used as a control feature for traffic movement. An employee stationed to oversee the flow of traffic can close off a doorway or narrow it down to indicate to those walking or driving around the area that they are able to pass. If your warehouse sees heavy traffic and could be in danger of congestion, this could be a great way to ease the traffic flow and keep everyone moving at a sensible pace. PVC always has a huge benefit over other barrier types because it is flexible and translucent, meaning that an uncontrolled vehicle or a driver who is not paying attention can smash through it without causing any damage. Moreover, the people on the other side will know it is coming and have time to move out of the way.
PVC curtains can be a great help for traffic flow, so don’t ignore them as an option. You will find them to be a great boost to your warehouse structure!