Tri-Side Safety Gate: The History
Many of our pallet drop safety gate models start out as custom designs for customers; the Tri-Side safety gate is another great example. We invented the Tri-Side safety gatemodel for a large drug store chain. We had worked with the drug store chain over many years, and had installed hundreds of safety gates in their distribution centers across the country. The drug store chain primarily used our Rack-Supported Roly safety gates to provide fall protection in its pick modules, and also installed some free-standing versions of the Roly safety gate on their mezzanines.
When the customer built a new distribution center, they reached out to us to provide fall protection systems, noting that they had a few areas in which the pallet drop area was in a walkway. Space was an issue in these areas; fall protection was needed, but there was not enough space for a Roly mezzanine safety gate model. To provide fall protection in this area, our engineers went to work to design a custom safety gate that had the benefits of the dual-gate system, but took up less space on the mezzanine.
The Tri-Side safety gate was created for this job. The Tri-Side model has a U-shaped rear gate, which when lifted up allows access to the workstation while the ledge gate closes to the deck, creating a secure work environment. The model has fixed stanchions only 14 inches deep, creating a controlled-access area while taking up a minimum amount of space on the work platform. Pallets can be accessed from either side, and be removed straight back into an area or to either ninety degree side. The drug store chain installed Tri-Side safety gates in the work areas with the pallet drop areas in the walkways.
Since the creation of the custom Tri-Side design, many other customers have voiced the same concern and space limitations. Given the need for and popularity of the model, we added the Tri-Side design to our standard product line over 10 years ago. We can fabricate them in stainless or mild steel. The safety gates can also be power operated, and can be made in custom widths, depths and heights.
The Tri-Side safety gate model has also been installed in a number of customer facilities with pick modules as a rack supported design. In these pick module applications, the existing pallet rack is used for support; this is a great design for pallet drop areas located on the sides of the module.
It’s also available in a compact design making it ideal to provide fall protection in doorways, especially when they integrate with overhead climate or fire doors. Production platforms in which employees are opening ingredient bags and dumping them into a hopper, are also a perfect spot for the Tri-Side model. The most unique application in which the Tri-Side safety gates have been used are on scissor-lift tables to secure the areas as lifts are raised and lowered.
We’re always happy to work with customers to create a fall protection solution that works for their specific material handling application. Whether you need a standard design or don’t really know where to start, we’re at your service.