When new shelving reduced travel clearance inside an active warehouse, the facility needed a physical separation solution between pedestrian walkways and powered industrial truck traffic before the risk exposure grew.
ABDM Facilities Maintenance Supervisor Audrey Blankenship led the installation of 324 linear feet of safety yellow guardrail, completed in 24 hours without outside contractors. By executing this work in-house, the team delivered a compliant, permanent safety barrier while avoiding an estimated $25,900 to $64,800 in contracted labor costs.
Challenge
- The addition of new shelving reduced available travel space for both pedestrians and PIT equipment, creating increased risk of collisions, struck-by incidents, and damage to shelving or stored materials.
- Employees traveling between workstations and break areas were directly exposed to the hazard, with no physical barrier separating foot traffic from equipment movement during routine operations.
- Floor markings defining pedestrian pathways, PIT travel lanes, and staging zones were absent in portions of the affected area, further reducing traffic clarity and visibility.
Actions Taken
- Installed 324 linear feet of safety yellow guardrail separating pedestrian walkways from PIT travel lanes.
- Applied floor marking tape to define pedestrian pathways, PIT travel lanes, and staging areas in previously unmarked zones.
- Completed the full scope in 24 hours using in-house ABDM personnel, with no external contractors.
Outcome
- Physical separation between pedestrian and PIT traffic established across the full affected area.
- Traffic lanes and staging zones clearly marked throughout previously undefined sections of the warehouse.
- Total material cost of $22,235 came in 54% to 74% below the contractor alternative of $48,135 to $87,035.
Precision in Action. Assurance in Every Step.
“No client goes without a solution to a problem” — that’s how ABDM Facilities Maintenance Supervisor Audrey Blankenship describes the standard.
ABDM closed a live safety exposure quickly, permanently, and without outside dependency, leaving the client with compliant infrastructure and a fraction of what contracted engagement would have cost.
