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Guardrail, also known as highway guardrail or sometimes guide rail is, as the name suggests, a type of railing that is installed on roads and highways. While it’s not technically a fence, it is often installed by fence companies.
Let’s take a closer look at guardrail, including what it is, how it’s made, how it’s installed and more.
Guardrail is a type of barrier that is intended to keep vehicles on highways or roads. It’s often installed on sharp corners or along elevated roadways, where vehicles leaving the road would be very dangerous for the occupants.
Guardrail is designed to slow vehicles down and to redirect them to a safer trajectory whenever possible. So, while a vehicle that does run into highway guardrail will definitely show signs of damage, if the guardrail does its job, it won’t leave the road but rather be safely redirected until the driver can stop.
Guardrail is also used to protect buildings and other structures on roads, highways and even on industrial sites. In this case, the sturdy guardrail structure can be used to prevent vehicle access as well as provide roadway safety.
Different parts of the world may have slightly different types of guardrails or guide rail, but there are three main types of guardrails in common use, especially in North America. These are:
W beam guardrail and thrie beam guardrail are built using roll-formed steel railing sections, while (as the name suggests), cable rail does a similar thing but using high tensile cables instead of solid steel sections.
W beam and thrie beam guardrail are manufactured from roll-formed, hot dip galvanized mild steel.
Cable rail systems are made from high-tensile steel cables. This is usually also galvanized to protect it against corrosion.
W beam and thrie beam guardrail systems are designed to be installed on either steel or wooden posts, depending on the site and the specification required. Some also have spacer blocks, which keep the rail section slightly away from the post itself.
Whether you choose wood or steel posts for your guardrail, the posts themselves are very strong and are carefully installed in engineer-designed footings to ensure that the guardrail is as strong and durable as possible.
Cable rail, on the other hand, is usually installed with specially made steel posts, which include a variety of fittings to keep the cables perfectly spaced and taut.
Steel guardrail sections are overlapped slightly to match up predrilled and punched holes in each piece. Then each piece is bolted in place using high-quality fasteners. Both adjacent guardrail sections are caught by this hardware, so it creates a single continuous section of guardrail.
Steel w beam and thrie beam guardrail can be custom manufactured to follow curves, but the metal sections themselves don’t bend – so you can’t bend them on site!
Cable rail systems are usually more forgiving and can usually be installed to follow curves on-site without too much trouble.
W beam and thrie beam guardrail systems have purpose-manufactured end sections that are used to finish off the ends of each run of guardrail. These are usually rolled back on themselves to prevent sharp edges that could potentially be dangerous.
Other end designs for guardrail and cable rail are available, though, so the best choice is often to provide the manufacturer with a site plan and have them recommend the best and safest end options for your guardrail project.
Guardrail is a fairly simple type of barrier product, and once you get the hang of the installation method, it’s not very difficult to figure out. A bit like building with blocks!
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However, guardrail is very heavy, which does mean you will need a strong fence crew to lift and position the posts and pieces. It also requires fairly hefty footings, which means you will need digging equipment, and because everything is predrilled for assembly, it does also require some precision with post placement.
It is possible to replace some damaged sections of guardrail after a vehicle has collided with it; however, you will usually need to have the guardrail inspected by a specialist to determine which parts need to be replaced.
Vehicular damage to guardrail is not always easily visible, but even invisible cracks in posts and other damage could make the system fail the next time it needs to protect a vehicle.
Some fence companies do install highway guardrail and cable rail systems, but usually commercial fence and industrial fence contractors.
Some roadbuilders and civil engineering contractors might also do their own guardrail installation.
If you’re looking for a company to install guardrail for you, be sure to look for one who has experience and references. This is a very important safety feature, and it’s best left to the pros!
A guardrail provides a sturdy base of support for stability, safety, and peace of mind. It’s a solution to be used on walkways and stairs to ensure the user has fall protection with balance and support. Guardrail is meant to prevent injury from an accidental or careless fall.
42 inches is the standard height of guardrails to ensure effectiveness and safety. According to OSHA code, parapets less than 42 inches (give or take 3 inches) require a railing. Should a force of 200 lbs in any downward or outward direction cause the railing to dip below 39 inches, the guardrail is not in compliance. If a parapet or a guardrail that has a top rail, an intermediate rail (or midrail), and supporting posts already in place (not being newly added) at 36 inches or higher, the parapet or guardrail is acceptable under OSHA code 55 Federal Register 13360 due to the possible danger to the workers that would replace the system.In addition, under General Industry's proposed rule on Walking and Working Surfaces (55 Federal Register 13360), guardrail systems with top rails that are 36 inches in height would similarly be
Handrails and OSHA compliant guardrail must support a 200-pound force. At any point on the handrail, it must sustain a 200-pound force applied downward or outward in any direction on the top railing. This means that no matter if you’re in the middle of the rail or at the end, 200-pounds of force must be held.
The average guardrail has 3 main parts: the top railing, the middle railing, and the posts along the span of the guardrail. The middle railing is typically halfway between the top rail and the surface the guardrail is over. This formation allows for maximum stability and sturdiness with minimal excess of railing used. Toe-boards or kick plates can be added to prevent objects from falling over the edge of the surface if needed.
An average guardrail will range between $30 to $80 per linear foot. The price will depend on the quality of metal used, the type of fabrication required, and the length/mass of the unit itself. Because of the weight of most guardrails, shipping expenses are typically an extra fee as well.
Data from 40+ years concludes that guardrail between 39 and 45 inches does not compromise a person’s safety. Should a preexisting guardrail be 36 inches or taller, the guardrail is grandfathered into code compliance due to the danger of replacing it.
Another term for guardrail is standard railing. Guardrail is a railing system compromising of a top rail, intermediate rail, and posts spanning the length of the rail. It must reach a height of 42 inches (give or take 3 inches) as well as sustain a force of 200 lbs in any downward or outward direction in order to be compliant with OSHA code.
According to OSHA code 1926.1052(c), four or more risers, or stairways rising more than 30 inches (whichever is less), requires at least one handrail between 30 and 37 inches from the surface of the stair tread.
3 steps or less, or less than 30 inches. According to OSHA code 1926.1052(c), four or more risers or rising more than 30 inches, whichever is less, requires at least one handrail. Unprotected edges of a stairway require a stair rail system.
A single handrail on one side of a stairway is required for stairs with 4 or more steps. If the stairway has unprotected edges, stair rail systems are required with the top rail at 42 inches from the top of the stair tread.
Per OSHA code 1926.1052(c)(7), stair rail systems can also serve as a handrail but require the top rail to be not more than 37 inches in height and not less than 36 inches from the top of the stair tread. Per OSHA code 1910.29(f)(1)(iii)(A), stair rail systems can also serve as a handrail but require the top rail to be not more than 38 inches in height and not less than 36 inches from the top of the stair tread.
Prefabricated guardrails from Simplified are designed to exceed OSHA standards. There is no need to think about whether the solution fits the problem because the height, strength, and upright spacing all meet the OSHA standard. Stop thinking about it, we've got you covered.
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