Event Barriers
Barrier hire for events
Knowing what barrier hire for your event can be a tricky minefield of acronyms and names for different types of barrier. Which can be infuriating, because surely a barrier hire is a barrier!!
Here is a brief guide to some different types of barriers that are commonly hired on events.
Crowd Control Barrier Hire (CCB/Ped Barrier)
Crowd Control Barrier which is abbreviated to CCB, or often called ped (short for pedestrian), or ‘bike rack’. Are all the same style of barrier.
They come in 2.3m and 2.5m lengths in the UK, and can be lightweight or heavy depending on the manufacturer.
Further details on these barriers can be found via our website at: Crowd Control Barrier Page
They also come in different colours, some hire options can be red and black:
These barriers have no load bearing capability to them and should only be used for channelling people into the correct queue lane or area. As opposed to a static forward force possibly being applied.
Heavy Duty Met Barrier Hire
These are the sort of barriers that you will see in Central London outside No.10, or on the edge of a red carpet event.
They are normally 1.5m wide and very heavy. They come in upturned stillages, and need manual handling trained crew to install.
Stage Barrier Hire (Pit Barrier)
This is your front of stage, load bearing (rated) barrier, which is installed by professionals and is rated to take a forward force of pressure.
They have a footplate on the operator side, that means staff can elevate themselves above the heads of the crowd for safety reasons.
Stage Barrier is mainly used for concerts and stages, but also used for any area where there is a significant forward force applied by a crowd. Such as separation lines at London Stadium, high profile red carpets and popular product launches.
The IStructE Guidance for Temporary Demountable Structures 2017 is a great document for the considerations in the design and risk assessment for both structures and load bearing barriers such as stage barrier IStructE Guidance
Tensata Barrier Hire
These are premium barriers used when there is absolutely no forward pressure, but a more premium look is required than a crowd control barrier.
Further information can be found here on our website Tensata Barrier Page
They come in a range of styles and colours. But the normal hire ranges are chrome or black posts, with either black or blue tape.
These are the sort of barriers you would of have queued endlessly past in airports, but we offer a portable version as opposed to a permanent installation bolted to the floor.
They also come with options for A4 sign holders that slot over the top to assist with client branding and directional information.
Rope and Post Hire
The nicest of the non load bearing barrier range, and the one that every red carpet would be lost without.
They come in chrome or gold options, with black and red rope being the most popular.
You can see the various options Number 8 has here Rope and Pole
The rope lengths for these are 1.5m, but allow 1.2m for planning perspective, as you will want a nice hang in between the stanchions.
Exhibition Barrier Hire
A very low level barrier, used in art galleries and exhibits. These are used where you do not want the barrier to be in the way of an impactful piece of art.
The rope is custom cut to each order, so you can specify what colour best suits your installation.
Picket Fence Hire
A plastic version of the popular wooden picket fence. As a freestanding option this is ideal for country fairs and events where you want a softer barrier to segregate an area.
Mesh and Block Fencing (Heras) Hire
The mesh and block fence is a 2m high fence, with 3.5m wide panels. This is widely referred to as heras fencing, although ‘heras’ is actually a company name of one of the providers. Bit like how vacuum cleaners are sometimes referred to as hoovers!!
This fence is used to separate work areas during builds, and for creating back of house areas to secure plant and generators.
The range of options Number 8 has for hire can be found here Heras Fencing Page
These come with two types of feet, black rubber feet and yellow rubber feet.
The yellow feet are a newer range, which with the appropriate bracing can have weights applied above them to increase the wind resistance of the fence panel, useful if you want to install branding on the fencing.
This type of fencing has options for covering as well. The four main types are:
- Branded scrim either in a roll or per panel
- Fire Rated black scrim which comes in a rolls of 100m
- Opaque black panel sheets
- Echo Sound barrier (which have a noise reduction quality to them, perfect for generator compounds in city areas)
But some people also like to be a bit more creative and use bamboo, natural materials to clad the heras. Whatever you choose, just make sure you have assessed the wind, ensured you have stakes/weights applied and you take it off if the wind is too much!
Chapter 8 Barrier Hire
This barrier comes in a range of visible colours, but you will mainly see orange on the market. They are used by companies when bartering off road works. But they are also perfect for events that need a visible barrier in a traffic situation.
They are also commonly used in brand activations during the build and derig in stations because of the fact that they are non conductive, and increasingly used in shopping centres within boulevard areas during the build and derig.
If you are still unsure which barrier would best suit your event please get in touch with us and we can discuss the options with you. We have a huge stock of barriers available for hire, along with other essential kit for your events.