Safety Guardrails — Stein Service & Supply

Guardrail Services

We identify each location that forklift traffic can strike and match a guard to what stands there.

Most of our work is in North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, and Virginia, and in 2025 we completed projects in 24 other states.

Guard selection for each location that forklift traffic can strike
End-of-rack guards, including space-saving styles for narrow aisles
Column protectors for rack uprights and guardrails for building columns
Heavy-duty steel, flexible, and pedestrian guardrail
Bollards and topple guardrails
Installation as a separate project or with rack repair and rack installation

Ross UllmanPresident, Stein Service & Supply

Heavy Duty Guardrail Engineered to absorb impacts, our heavy-duty guard rails offer a cost-effective and permanent solution to safeguard walls, equipment, shipping… Learn More

Bollards Placed strategically around loading bays and docks, bollards serve as reliable guides for truck drivers, ensuring precision during critical phases… Learn More

Column Guardrails Warehouse column guardrails are a safety solution for protecting building columns and corners in various settings. Designed with durability and safety… Learn More

Topple Guardrails Topple guardrails safeguard pedestrians from the hazards associated with falling floor-stacked loads. Topple guards excel within areas where… Learn More

Pedestrian Guardrails Pedestrian guardrails offer a sturdy barrier to safeguard pedestrians in high-traffic areas. With a perfect blend of durability and functionality… Learn More

Forklift Guardrails Forklift guardrails offer an excellent solution to warehouse operators dealing with unavoidable collisions between forklifts and conventional… Learn More

Guard Types by Location

Every guard type is designed for a specific location in the building, and the right one depends on what must be protected and what is likely to strike it.

Protected area	Guard	Application
End of a rack row	End-of-rack guards	Protect the corner uprights at the ends of rows and in tunnel bays, where an aisle passes through the rack. Space-saving styles mount around the upright base plates and take up less aisle width.
Rack uprights along an aisle	Column protectors	Protectors that bolt to the upright have the lowest cost, and plastic air-filled protectors are the easiest to install. Floor-mounted protectors stand in front of a 3- or 4-inch upright without attaching to it. They have the highest installation cost, but a hard impact is less likely to damage the upright.
Building columns	Column guardrails	A frame around the column that also protects the pipes, conduit, and electrical equipment mounted on it.
Walls, offices, and machinery	Heavy-duty or forklift guardrail	A continuous rail along the drive lane, in heavy-duty steel or flexible rail.
Walkways	Pedestrian guardrails	Separate pedestrians from forklift lanes along aisles, conveyors, entrances, and dock areas.
Doors, docks, and panels	Bollards	Single posts at doorways, dock entries, electrical panels, and aisle corners.
Floor-stacked loads	Topple guardrails	For pallets, bulk containers, and paper rolls stacked on the floor where rack does not fit. The rail keeps a falling load out of the walkway beside the stack.

End-of-Rack Guards and Inspections

End-of-rack guards protect the corner uprights where forklifts turn into an aisle. They are also a common item at the inspections that close out a rack permit.

Damage to the rack is also a code issue. The fire codes in North and South Carolina, for example, require rack to remain structurally sound, and a fire inspector can cite a bent upright. Permitting

Steel, Flexible, and Pedestrian Guardrail

Guards protect single points, such as uprights and the ends of rows. Guardrail protects the length of a drive lane or walkway, either as our heavy-duty steel rail, which has an impact rating, or as flexible rail.

Heavy-Duty Steel

Bright yellow corrugated steel rail, rated for an impact from a 10,000 lb forklift at 6 mph. It protects walls, shipping offices, equipment, and rack, and sections can be added or removed when the layout changes. A severe impact can require replacement of the rail and repair of the floor where the posts are bolted down.

Flexible Forklift Rail

Designed for locations that are struck repeatedly. It absorbs the impact and returns to its original shape, which reduces wear on the rail, the floor, and the forklift. It also protects against shallow, angled impacts and against forks.

Pedestrian Rail

Marks walkways and keeps pedestrians out of forklift lanes. It is modular, so runs can be relocated or extended later.

Gates and Adapters for Heavy-Duty Rail

Gates and adapters let the heavy-duty rail work in locations where a straight run does not fit.

Lift-Out Adapter

The rails sit in slots on the posts, so they can be lifted out for access to equipment or space behind the guard and then set back in place.

Down Guard Adapter

Holds the bottom rail down to the post base plates and closes the gap below it. It adds low-level protection and is easy to remove.

45° Angle Adapter

Allows the rail to follow the outline of the protected area, which saves floor space.

Self-Closing Gate

Mounts to the guardrail posts and adjusts from 36 to 54 inches wide, for walkways that pass through the rail.

Guardrail Questions

Do you install guardrails?

Yes. On a new installation, our crew installs the guards once the rows are erected and anchored. Warehouse installation

A protector was struck. Is the rack behind it still sound?

Replace the damaged protector, then inspect the upright behind it to confirm that the rack is intact. Pallet rack repair

How often should guard locations be reviewed?

At least once a year, and whenever the layout, the traffic routes, or the equipment changes. A new traffic pattern can expose a location that was previously outside the traffic path.

Can an inspector require other protection on the rack?

Some inspectors also require backstop protection, which prevents pallets from being pushed off the rear of the rack. Backstop beams

Contact

Discuss a Guardrail Project

Contact us with the facility layout and the areas where forklifts operate.

Request Consultation