ProGMA publishes new standard for testing industrial guardrail barriers and posts

The Protective Guarding Manufacturers Association (ProGMA), an MHI industry group published a new American National Standard outlining a test method for crash testing industrial guardrail barriers and posts. The new standard, ANSI MH31.2-2021, provides a test method of evaluating performance characteristics for industrial guardrail barriers and barrier posts.

Industrial guardrail barriers and barrier posts are commonly utilized within industrial and warehouse environments to safeguard against unwanted interactions with, or provide added protection against potential impacts from, passing industrial vehicle traffic. These devices are typically mounted directly to the ground-level concrete floor slab at a safe distance away from pedestrian aisleways, vital equipment, or critical infrastructure.

This standard addresses a key issue in that no standardized test method had previously been established that assesses the performance of these devices. Many manufacturers and suppliers of these products have performed independent testing based on a wide range of non-standardized parameters.

“This new standard fills a critical void in the industry and will become the benchmark for assessing product performance across a wide variety of configurations and material types. Having products tested to this comprehensive standard will allow end users to easily compare products based on reliable data from an accredited laboratory. This is a substantial achievement for the ProGMA and will help promote the importance of choosing high-quality guarding products appropriately matched to the specific application(s).”  -Chad Cory, National Account Manager, Steel King Industries, Inc.

The test method in this standard is based on ASTM F3016-2014, Standard Test Method for Surrogate Testing of Vehicle Impact Protective Devices at Low Speeds and selects conditions that would represent fork trucks present in a manufacturing, warehousing, or distribution facility.

“The ProGMA industry group group is focused on protecting people, product and facilities, as well as promoting the best practices in the industry. This new standard for testing guardrail barriers and posts provides end users, suppliers and consultants with critical information on which guardrail is best for their application, and to ensure what they install will actually protect what it is intended to protect.” -Aaron Conway, ProGMA chair and President of Mezzanine Safeti-Gates, Inc.

ProGMA worked closely with Texas A&M Transportation Institute, a testing laboratory capable of conducting the testing outlined in the standard, in the development of the standard.

“This new evaluation standard is a large step in the right direction of improving safety in the material handling industry. It will allow products to be evaluated in a fair and equitable manner, while also improving the baseline level of safety in industrial settings. The Texas A&M Transportation Institute (TTI) is thankful for the opportunity to collaborate with MHI on the development of this standard and our researchers are excited to engage in future collaboration and testing efforts.” -James Kovar, Assistant Research Scientist- Roadside Safety and Physical Security Division, Texas A&M Transportation Institute

The standard is available at the link here: ProGMA Standard 31.2

To find out more about the ProGMA (Protective Guarding Manufacturers Association) industry group and its members, visit our site: https://www.mhi.org/progma