The practical uses of concrete barriers
Concrete barriers blocks are a versatile product, providing a range of solutions to sectors such as events to commercial construction industries. Whether you need a safe and effective security barrier to prevent unauthorised access or a means to control traffic, the practical uses of concrete barriers are numerous. Here are five popular uses of concrete barriers:
1. Creating Retaining Walls
Retaining walls and security barriers can be erected quickly and simply with concrete barriers. With the long-term durability of the material, concrete is resistant to the elements and encroaching landscaping, while being logistically easy to manoeuvre and install. Retaining walls can be used to restrict views on your site should the site be a distraction for road users or pedestrians. An interlocking barrier can also prevent snooping or curious individuals from looking into a particular site or project.
2. Securing a vacant or vulnerable area
There are limitless applications for concrete blocks as a security provision, such as:
- Creating barrier walls for privacy and security of sites.
- Perimeter boundaries to restrict access.
- A simple deterrent for unauthorised vehicles and visitors.
- Safety borders to prevent access to sites with heavy vehicles.
- With the sturdy nature of concrete blocks, they cannot be easily moved and quite simply, they’re going to hold up against any attempt to crash through them and gain entry.
Larger blocks can be used to shore up any potential points of access to sites quickly, and interlocking blocks provide a stable barrier solution that can be accompanied by here as fencing which helps to prevent access to restricted areas further.
3. Traffic Management and parking bays
Fast-moving traffic and heavy vehicles are a risk factor in many industries, sites and sectors. Concrete barriers are an ideal solution, whether to direct the flow of traffic and steer vehicles away from areas of risk or to control the density and location of cars.
Where construction areas cross or sit adjacent to a highway, it is essential (and also a legal requirement) to provide a secure barrier to protect the safety of workers.
Large concrete blocks can be stacked, lined up together or assembled to form substantial, robust barriers to ensure vehicles are safely directed away from the site of work.
Traffic management uses of concrete blocks include:
- Physical barriers to direct cars to allocated bays.
- Barriers to prevent access to restricted areas.
- Creation of temporary parking or traffic facilities during road works.
- Guiding traffic
- Safety barrier between workers and vehicles on highway sites.
4. Restricting movement
You may need to restrict movement to an area either during an event, a construction project or to protect a vacant property. Concrete blocks are ideal when temporarily reducing access to a site with applications from traffic control.
As a risk management tool, concrete can mitigate the levels of risk posed by potential hazards impacting significant events, such as waterways, sharp drops and roadways, by safely restricting access without affecting the natural landscape.
Concrete barriers can be used to:
- Restrict the movement in and out of potentially vulnerable access points
- Sit in front of access points to stop vehicles from being able to enter the site
- Restrict the movement of trespassers or fly-tippers
- Limiting access to private events or for restricted parking areas.
- Prevent ram-raiding (hostile vehicle mitigation)
5. Flood defenses
Blocks are suitable for use in both residential and commercial properties and provide a safety measure protecting against flooding and fire damage.
From flood defenses to security barriers, traffic management tools to perimeter safety, concrete barriers offer a long term, robust solution to many security problems, enhancing the safety and reducing the number of security risks. If you would like to learn more about concrete barriers hire, please contact the experienced team at PBS today.
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