Chapter 8 Barriers

Chapter 8 barriers are temporary barrier systems specifically designed to comply with the “Chapter 8 guidelines” issued by the government. When talking about Chapter 8 barrier systems, most people will be referring to barrier systems designed to keep pedestrians out of work sites. These are available in a range of styles and often feature a red and white reflective strip to warn vehicles of their presence. They are deployed along the roadside by utility workers, construction workers or maintenance teams when carrying out essential repairs on the UK’s road network.

Chapter 8 Barriers

All of the barriers for sale are generally of a plastic construction. This is because plastic barriers have several benefits over older style metal units including they do not dent, rust, or have issues with paint fading.

The removal of metal from the barrier makes them less attractive to scrap metal thieves who would otherwise be happy to take the barricades away and weigh them in when everyone has left the site for the evening, leaving your ground works unprotected furthermore this leaves you open to liability for not adequately keeping the public safe.

Crowd Control & Segregation

Some of our most popular pedestrian safety barriers are the standard interlocking 2-metre units such as the Avalon. These barriers are ideal for use around road works, construction sites, and areas under maintenance. Due to their length they can be connected together to produce one long string of barriers to keep unwanted pedestrians from wandering into unsafe areas.

We also frequently see these used at events to guide pedestrians safely as a group in and out of a venue or keep them from restricted and potentially dangerous areas. By using a barrier system such as these if anyone does “break the line” and end up where they are not meant to be, you know that they must have made a conscious effort to circumvent the barricade.

Folding JPS Portagate Utility Gate In Use

Folding & Collapsible

Even within a cordoned off area on a large site, it is important to prevent workers from accidentally stumbling into open works and excavations. Larger barriers would not be practical in this application as there is often not the room around the job; this is where folding barriers come in very handy.

Folding barriers are generally designed to surround trenches or open manholes ensuring that workers or the public (when used outside of a cordon) do not stumble into open trenches for gas, drainage, electrical or telecoms work.

Although these units generally clip together to form a square some can be extended to surround slightly larger rectangular excavations or pits. The great thing about folding barricades is that a subcontractor in a small van can easily pack the barrier into a van taking up minimal space leaving plenty of room for tools.

Blue Titan Expander Barrier From JSP Safety

Expanding

Concertina barriers are relatively new to the safety scene and are a great solution for indoor portable barrier requirements. They are therefore very popular with electrical contractors, cleaners and maintenance workers who need a lightweight, compact and most importantly easy to transport pedestrian barrier.

Two of these barricades can easily be used to restrict access to an aisle in a supermarket whilst cleaning is taking place, and then very easily stored in a cupboard or cleaning cupboard ready for use another time without taking up too much space.

What Makes A Good Chapter 8 Safety Barrier?

There are several things that you should look for and consider when picking a pedestrian safety barrier, depending on the application your requirements may differ a little, but these are some of the things that you should think about.

Strong and Sturdy - If being used around excavations or to keep larger numbers of pedestrians from entering an area the barricade should be able to stand up to people leaning and falling against it.
Durable - All barriers should be able to stand up to multiple uses otherwise you are wasting your money, and if a unit were to break you could potentially put someone at risk of injury. All of our barriers are durable and we stand by their build quality.
Lightweight - A lighter weight barrier is easy to move to and from a site, and far easier to set out than heavier barriers such as metal or concrete. This will not only save you cost in transportation but in wages for staff deploying them.
Interlocking - If using barriers to control a crowd, or prevent access to road works they should ideally interlock, preventing people sneaking between units and getting into restricted areas.
Visible - If the barrier is being used outside it should include high visibility markings to ensure that motorists, cyclists and pedestrians can see that there is an obstacle ahead.

Do I Need Chapter 8 Barriers?

If you are using your barriers on the public highway or around road works it is required by law that chapter 8 compliant items are used. Chapter 8 barriers are a specific type of road safety barrier and are required to meet certain regulations to make them safe for road use. One of these stipulations is that the barrier must have a reflective strip to make it visible at night or in adverse conditions.

Any barriers with reflective striping within this category are 100% compliant with chapter 8 regulations when used correctly, directions as to how to use them correctly can be found here: https://startsafety.uk/regulations

There are some situations where you do not need Chapter 8 compliant items, such as off-road use on private land to mark out parking areas at events, pedestrian walkways (not next to a public road) or when using barriers indoors.

Chapter 8 Pedestrian Barriers And Signage

Need Help Finding the Right System?

Give our trained sales team a call on +44 (0)1905 794875, they will help you in choosing a suitable system for your needs and will also be happy to discuss discounts for bulk quantity requirements and special delivery need.

Why Buy from Start Traffic?

We have the full range shown above in stock on the shelf ready to ship out next day, we offer special delivery services and can even arrange same day delivery on many products.

Need help finding the right product?

Give our trained sales team a call on +44 (0)1905 794875, they will help you in choosing a suitable system for your needs and will also be happy to discuss discounts for bulk quantity requirements and special delivery need.

Why buy from Start Safety?

We have the full range shown above in stock on the shelf ready to ship out next day, we offer special delivery services and can even arrange same day delivery on many products.