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Guardrails and handrails: fittings v fabrication

Posted By:Chris Paterson

Category: Blog

Posted By:

Category: Blog

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Guardrails and handrails are a popular solution to protect people from hazards. There are two main types of railing, fabricated and fittings.

The former are fabricated off-site and require a lot of preparation and design work. The prefabricated structures are then delivered to the site and must be installed by a skilled fitter with the required training and permits, creating many health and safety issues.

When it comes to ease of installation, flexibility and durability, fittings are clearly a better solution than fabrication.

Hazardous, damaged fabricated railing. Credit: Kee Safety
Hazardous, damaged fabricated railing. Credit: Kee Safety

Installing barriers using fittings such as Kee Klamp® or Kee Lite® is far easier and gives you greater design flexibility than fabricated systems. For example, fittings can easily accommodate changes in level or direction, and meet virtually any design requirement.

Barriers are simple to install so there’s no need for skilled labour or special work permits, and because there is no cutting or welding of components, the integrity of all coatings is left intact. In addition, barriers using Kee Klamp® fittings are more resilient to corrosion, with a typical Kee Klamp® structure lasting up to 7 times longer than a fabricated one.

Many rails are exposed to corrosive conditions which can eat away at the material of the guardrail and once the structure is weakened sufficiently, the railing itself becomes a hazard.

Kee Klamp guardrailing. Credit: Kee Safety
Kee Klamp guardrailing. Credit: Kee Safety

Once fabricated guardrails and handrails become damaged, the only way to repair them is by cutting out the problem section and welding in a replacement, once again bringing up a whole host of issues.

Kee fittings are hugely flexible, only requiring a general arrangement drawing and removing the need for a highly skilled labourer and work permits, as anyone can fit the railing thanks to the use of simple hexagonal set screws locking the fitting to the tube.

Thanks to these many benefits, Kee Klamp® and Kee Lite® fittings offer a strong and durable solution to separating people from hazards.

For more information on Kee Klamp® and Kee Lite® fittings, give us a call on 1041 949 1014 or use our contact form.