Guard rail, sometimes referred to as guide rail, is a system designed to keep people or vehicles from (in most cases unintentionally) straying into dangerous or off-limits areas. A handrail is less restrictive than a guard rail and provides both support and the protective limitation of a boundary. This page is a candidate to be moved to Wiktionary. ...

Public safety

A handrail leading along a rocky creek crossing.

A railing accidentally collapses at a college football game, spilling fans onto the sidelines

Most public spaces are fitted with guard rails as a means of protection against accidental falls. Any abrupt change in elevation where the higher portion is accessible makes a fall possible. Due to this responsibility and liability, rails are placed to protect people using the premises. Guardrails are generally required by code where there is a drop of 30" or more. Image File history File links Size of this preview: 800 × 449 pixelsFull resolution (1496 × 840 pixel, file size: 371 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) Clapper Bridge over River Cadnant Author: User:Velela. ... Image File history File links Size of this preview: 800 × 449 pixelsFull resolution (1496 × 840 pixel, file size: 371 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) Clapper Bridge over River Cadnant Author: User:Velela. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high resolution version (3456x2304, 3695 KB) Summary Partial stadium collapse at Big 12 Conference college football championship game - Reliant Stadium in Houston, Texas - 2005. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high resolution version (3456x2304, 3695 KB) Summary Partial stadium collapse at Big 12 Conference college football championship game - Reliant Stadium in Houston, Texas - 2005. ... The introduction of this article does not provide enough context for readers unfamiliar with the subject. ... A railing accidentally collapses at a college football game, spilling fans onto the sidelines An accident is something going wrong unexpectedly. ... A college football game between Colorado State and Air Force. ... Fans of Janet Jackson, at Much Music in Toronto The word fan refers to someone who has an intense, occasionally overwhelming liking of a person, group of persons, work of art, idea, or trend. ... The sidelines is a term commonly used to define the white/colored lines which mark the outer-boundaries of a gaming field. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with Gathering place. ...

Examples of this are both architectural and environmental. Environmental guard rails are placed along hiking trails where adjacent terrain is steep. Railings may also be located at scenic overlooks. This article is about building architecture. ... An environment is a complex of external factors that acts on a system and determines its course and form of existence. ... A trail, in the most general sense, is any linear route for travel. ...

Guard rails in buildings are numerous, and are required by building codes in many circumstances. Guard rails along stairways are common, and catwalks and balconies are also lined with them. For other uses, see Building (disambiguation). ... Spiral (double helix) stairway in the Vatican Museum Stairs, staircase, stairway, stairwell, and flight of stairs are all names for a construction designed to bridge a large vertical distance by dividing it into smaller vertical distances, called steps. ... Model on the catwalk during Spring 2007 Fashion Week, New York City. ... A balcony comprising a balustrade supported at either end by plinths. ...

Building codes also require that no opening in a guard be of a size such that a 4" sphere may pass. There are three exceptions according to the 2003 International Building Code Section 1012.3 which allow openings to not exceed 8" or 21" depending on occupancy groups or special areas. The International Building Code (IBC) is a model building code developed by the International Code Council (ICC). ...

An architect who was famous for creative use of handrails for social stability was Alvar Aalto. The guard rails of an observation tower such as the Space Needle or Eiffel Tower become exaggerated to the point of becoming a fence or cage. This is also done on bridges and overpasses to prevent accidents and suicides. “Aalto” redirects here. ... An observation tower (alpine also prospect control room) has the function to make as far a remote view and an instructive round view possible over 360° as possible. ... Space Needle from Volunteer Park The Space Needle is a tower in Seattle, Washington. ... The Eiffel Tower (French: , ) is an iron tower built on the Champ de Mars beside the River Seine in Paris. ... A fence in Westtown Township, Pennsylvania. ... Look up cage in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... This article is about the edifice (including an index to articles on specific bridge types). ... Overpass in East Potomac Park, Washington, D.C. Flyover in Miami Beach, Florida An overpass (In UK, most Commonwealth countries flyover) is a bridge, road or similar structure that crosses over another road. ... A railing accidentally collapses at a college football game, spilling fans onto the sidelines An accident is something going wrong unexpectedly. ... For other uses, see Suicide (disambiguation). ...

Safety and industry

Automotive safety

A removable guardrail as median barrier

In traffic engineering guardrails prevent vehicles from veering off the roadway into oncoming traffic, crashing against solid objects or falling into a ravine. A secondary objective is keeping the vehicle upright while deflected along the guardrail. The problem with this is that a guardrail of the optimum height for a car might not keep a truck from toppling over it, while a motorbike might slip under a higher rail. Image File history File links Metadata Size of this preview: 800 × 600 pixelsFull resolution (1136 × 852 pixel, file size: 149 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) A removable median barrier on a French Expressway. ... Image File history File links Metadata Size of this preview: 800 × 600 pixelsFull resolution (1136 × 852 pixel, file size: 149 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) A removable median barrier on a French Expressway. ... Mountain road with hairpin turns in the French Alps For other uses, see Road (disambiguation). ...

In most cases guardrails would not be able to withstand the impact of a vehicle just by the strength of the individual posts in the area hit by the vehicle. Instead, the guardrail is effectively one strong band that transfers the force of the vehicle to multiple posts beyond the impact area or into a ground anchor at the end of the guardrail.

It is important to note that guardrails have frequently ranked as among the highest sources of injury and fatality in a fixed-object crash (1).^{[verification needed]} Among the primary reasons for this is the type of treatment used at the end of the guardrail facing oncoming traffic. Most end designs will either deflect, absorb, or launch the vehicle. Deflection causes the vehicle to be redirected back into traffic -- particularly dangerous on undivided roadways, as the vehicle may travel into oncoming traffic. Absorption is when the force of impact is directly transferred between the vehicle and guardrail, which may cause the end to puncture the vehicle. Lastly, a vehicle can become airborne upon striking a guardrail's end, which may negate the purpose of the guardrail, if the vehicle continues beyond the guardrail and strikes the object the guardrail was protecting. Additionally, an airborne vehicle is likely to collide in a manner that the vehicle was not designed for, increasing the risk of failure in the vehicle's collision safety systems. Collapsible guard rails are safer than rigid ones, since a longer collision duration will result in a smaller average impact force. This article does not cite any references or sources. ...

Transportation engineers are increasingly limiting the use of guardrails as much as possible, as guardrails should only be placed when the roadside conditions pose a greater threat than the guardrail itself. In addition to new research into end treatments, public awareness among both drivers and engineers has been gradually reducing injuries and fatalities due to guardrails. The engineering of this roundabout in Bristol, England, attempts to make traffic flow free-moving Transport engineering (alternatively transportation engineering) is the science of safe and efficient movement of people and goods (transport). ...

Guardrails are also frequently placed beneath the sides of high-sided heavy vehicles (such as lorries, semi-trucks, etc). This is in order to prevent smaller vehicles (e.g. cars) from passing underneath the heavier vehicle during a collision and being crushed by its rear wheels.

See also

• Crash barrier

Standard guardrail (A-profile) A crash barrier is a barrier on a road designed to prevent vehicles from leaving the roadway to improve road safety. ...

External Links

Railing Baluster Spacing Calculations