Client: Morrisons
Architect: DLA Architecture
Contractor: Bowmer & Kirkland
Type of works: supply of 2.5km of safety barriers

The new Morrisons Regional Distribution Centre at Bridgwater in Somerset covers nearly 60 acres and provides over 71,000 square metres of warehousing (over 3/4 million sq ft) to distribute Morrisons goods to 63 stores in the West and South West of England and South Wales.

DLA Architecture specified over 2.5km of safety barriers from Berry Systems to protect people, plant and equipment throughout the site. This specification not only met the approval of the client - Morrisons- but also the main contractor, Bowmer & Kirkland, who have worked with Berry Systems a number of times previously and have confidence in the Berry installation teams.

Just over 1.5km of barrier has been installed inside the warehouse and nearly 1km outside. This included nearly 800m of Berry’s Spring Steel Buffers on which a “warehouse rail” is mounted below a standard barrier rail to provide protection to pedestrian walkways from forklift trucks and other warehouse vehicles. The extra lower rail prevents the forks penetrating into the walkway below the standard barrier.

The varying styles specified reflect the different risks identified in specific areas and illustrates how the Berry Systems’ range can cope with virtually any requirement with a barrier that has been independently tested to prove its performance to the appropriate level.

There is also a waste recycling centre to deal with all the cardboard and paper waste inevitably generated and the access ramps to this part of the facility are, naturally, protected by Berry Systems’ barriers.

Morrisons have contracted DHL to run this regional distribution centre and it is now gradually working towards full capacity and is expected to handle over 2 million cases in 2012 from up to 800 vehicle movements per day.

Synopsis: Internal and external vehicle safety barriers at new regional distribution centre to protect walkways, loading bay doors, columns, plant and equipment.

Specification: 31m of Barrier Rail and Warehouse Rail mounted on GH spring steel buffers with integral handrail.
109m of Barrier Rail mounted on GH spring steel buffers.
622m of Warehouse Rail mounted on RB330 spring steel buffers.
805m of Barrier Rail and Warehouse Rail mounted on RB1 spring steel buffers with integral handrail.
24m of Double Rail mounted on RB610 spring steel buffers
898m of Open Box Beam mounted on cast in posts.
60 Column Protection Units.