Case Studies
Barrier Up & Risks Down at this Auckland Warehouse
One of our most popular barrier setups is the 910-2 Barrier, and for the cherry on top it's finished with our Tru-Gard Hand Rail. This was the solution of choice for a large new-build warehouse in Auckland, where the goal was simple: keep pedestrians safe while they navigate the full perimeter of the building. Personnel Gates were placed in key high-traffic areas, including office entrances and exits. By slowing people down and requiring them to open the gate before stepping onto the warehouse floor, staff get a moment to check for forklifts and moving vehicles. It’s a small pause that makes a big difference when people and machines share the same space. Bollards were also installed in strategic locations to protect sensitive electronic equipment. Nobody wants downtime caused by accidental damage, and our certified bollards provide tough, reliable protection exactly where it’s needed. This project is a solid example of how we combine smart design, certified protection, and practical placement to keep both people and assets safe. In a busy warehouse, it’s these little touches that make a big difference. \\
Learn more
Safety Starts at Home, One Bit of Yellow at a Time
At Tru-Gard, we don’t just make safety products we use them too. Safety starts at home, which means making sure our own staff and new manufacturing plant are as protected as the clients and sites we work with. To create a safe environment for everyone on site, we installed our Tru-Gard Hand Rail System along workshop pathways, giving pedestrians a clear, protected walking space. Tru-Gard Personnel Gates mark entranceways to high-traffic areas, forcing foot traffic to slow down and giving staff time to check for forklifts and other moving vehicles before entering these higher-risk zones. We also installed our Tru-Gard Certified Barrier System to separate forklifts from employees and visitors, keeping everyone on the correct side and reducing the risk of collisions. Together, these systems create a clear perimeter around the entire site, which means we can safely show clients and visitors around the workshop while they stay protected in matching hi-vis vests. This project highlights our commitment to safety for both staff and visitors. By investing in our own plant and people we are demonstrating the Tru-Gard difference, because the safest workplaces start at home.
Learn more
Where Foot Traffic Safety Meets Freight at Mainfreight Dunedin
If you’ve had a look through our case studies, you will see we’ve worked with our fair share of Mainfreight depots over the years. So we have learned a thing or two about the hazards and requirements of their busy transport sites. People are at the centre of everything Mainfreight do, and keeping pedestrians safe on site is always a priority. It’s something we’ve enjoyed collaborating with them on many times before. Creating safe walkways in high-traffic zones is something we do best. So when the Dunedin branch needed help, we were happy to advise. This busy depot sees national consignments move in and out all day, every day. Our role was to help establish a secure pedestrian zone around the warehouse, separating foot traffic from forklifts. A combination of our Barrier, Hand Rail, and Personnel Gates was the ideal solution, providing modular, high-visibility products that fit seamlessly into the environment. Built to last with a 10-year warranty, staff and visitors can have the confidence that this is an investment in their safety for years to come. This site is just another example of how we partner with Mainfreight to put people protection first, every step of the way. Read more about our work with Mainfreight Hobsonville, Mainfreight Derrimut, and Mainfreight Gore.
Learn more
Felling Hazards, Raising Safety at Pan Pac Milburn
This is Pan Pac Forest Products Ltd, a subsidiary of Japanese pulp and paper experts Oji in Japan. To understand the history of Pan Pac, let’s take a step back in time. Back to an era where you’d hear John Rowles’ Cheryl Moana Marie on the radio, the classic It’s In The Bag made its TV debut, and flares and platform shoes were all the rage. The decade is the 1970s, when Pan Pac first established its site at Whirinaki, just north of Napier. Fast forward the cassette of time to 2014, and Pan Pac operations have expanded into Milburn, just south of Dunedin, where Pan Pac Forest Products (Otago) Limited was established, a lumber business operating a sawmill, boiler, continuous kiln, and dry mill. With Pan Pac products now being shipped to over 15 countries around the world, the mills are working at full capacity. This comes with a constant flow of heavy machinery, moving product, staff, delivery trucks, and associated hazards. Continuous traffic on site creates dangerous areas and increases the risk to both people and property. That’s where we come in. Our classic 910-2 Barrier was the ideal choice for maximum visibility and protection. Tested and certified, it creates clear passageways for foot traffic and protects buildings from accidental vehicle damage. Combined with our modular Hand Rail to provide safe walking spaces for pedestrians around the site. Fast forward the tape again to part two of this project, where we completed an additional sub-project to improve safety in the logging yard. This area is the most hazardous on the premises, as heavy machinery and rolling logs can seriously injure or even kill anyone in the wrong place at the wrong time. By limiting the entry of traffic and people to this part of the sawmill, hazards were identified and reduced, helping the business meet its obligations to protect staff and visitors. By modifying our standard Personnel Gates, we created heavy-duty vehicle gates fit for purpose. Some of the key features include: A new latch to secure double gates firmly in the closed position. A locking option on the latch for added security, with holes for a padlock to prevent unauthorised access, ideal for after-hours protection. A bracket option to mount gates directly onto bollards, making the gate stronger and providing extra protection if a vehicle misjudges the angle. The client is thrilled with the results in terms of security and access control, and our unmissable Safety Yellow finish makes them a strong addition to their overall safety strategy. We have helped make this site a safer place to visit and work. And we think that’s pretty groovy.
Learn more
Guiding the Way at Port Nelson
We all know ports are no place for wandering pedestrians. With forklifts, containers, and heavy vehicles moving constantly, there is nothing quite like a bright yellow reminder showing where to walk and where to stay alert as a pedestrian. Port Nelson identified this challenge in a specific zone. While drivers and staff are well trained, there is always added value in clearly defined pedestrian walkways across site. Our Hand Rail system provides the ideal balance of traffic management and visibility. Designed for all-weather conditions, including stormy ports and salt spray environments, it offers reliable hand support along walkways. It can also be integrated with our Barrier system for added strength where required, or combined with Personnel Gates to support safe and efficient pedestrian flow. If you have zones, stairs, mezzanines, or other areas on site that could benefit from improved pedestrian protection, get in touch with our team to find a modular Hand Rail system that suits your site.
Learn more
Keeping the Herd Safe at Silver Fern Farms Hawke's Bay
Keeping pedestrians safe on busy work sites can feel a lot like managing a herd. At Silver Fern Farms’ Takapau in Hawke’s Bay, NZ, private roads are constantly active with both staff and vehicles moving around the site. A moment’s lapse in attention could have serious consequences, so clear safety measures are essential. This large sheepmeat processing plant has carefully identified its hazard areas and created unmistakable safety zones for the many visitors and staff who walk the factory grounds each day. To manage these high-traffic areas, we installed our Tru-Gard Hand Rail System along key pedestrian pathways, combined with Personnel Gates to clearly define safe access points. Our modular system made it easy to navigate tricky curves and complex site layouts, ensuring continuous protection where it’s needed most. These systems guide staff and visitors to check for vehicles before crossing, helping reduce the risk of accidents and keeping everyone moving safely through the site. By combining robust handrails, secure gates, and high-visibility safety zones, Silver Fern Farms Hawke’s Bay has created a safer, more organised site for staff and visitors alike. It’s safety done the Tru-Gard way—practical, reliable, and designed to protect the whole herd on site.
Learn more
Raising the Bar on Fall Safety at Pacific Steel
A steel plant sounds like exactly the kind of place where you would expect to find workplace hazards, although not always the ones you might think. In this case, management identified a fall risk created by a raised concrete platform. That’s where our Tru-Gard Hand Rail comes in. This inconspicuous-looking concrete platform at Pacific Steel, is frequently used by workers to inspect and maintain production machinery. The risk was that those working on the platform were often looking up, not down, which increased the likelihood of misstepping and falling from the platform. The solution was our Tru-Gard Hand Rail, customised with triple railing and fixed to side-mounted support posts. This was designed to create a clear physical barrier and set at a height to prevent accidental falls. To finish it off, we also added toe-kick boards, not only to prevent feet from sliding underneath, but to catch items such as tools that might accidentally be kicked off the edge during work. The solutions to these hazards do not have to be complicated, they just have to be effective. That is exactly where our modular systems are designed to quickly and easily solve these issues. If you have a hazard on site, big or small, let us help you find a Tru-Gard solution to suit. After all, there is nothing better than knowing workers are safe and injuries can be prevented.
Learn more
Small but Mighty: How Silver Fern Farms Waitane Stays Safe
We’re no strangers to installing our range at meat processing plants, after all, we know each has its own hazards, traffic management requirements, pedestrian areas, and special requests. So, when Silver Fern Farms Waitane, a small sheep processing plant located in Southland, NZ, got in touch, we were happy to help. This small but mighty plant contributes significantly to the supply of quality lamb for domestic and international markets. Common in these types of environments, we always see plenty of stock and freight trucks, vehicles, forklifts, pedestrians, and of course, livestock. The Waitane Health & Safety management team wanted to create clearer pathways on site for staff and visitors, adding extra layers of protection with barrier, hand rail, and personnel gates for critical access points. We were more than happy to provide ideas and advice for different zones around the site, resulting in barrier configurations tailored to the level of risk and traffic type. Our 610-1 Barrier + Hand Rail and 910-2 Barrier were popular choices, providing visibly clear and well-protected zones. We also constructed Driver Protection Zones for visiting truck drivers, keeping them safe as their trucks are loaded and unloaded. We’re always up for a challenge, no matter the size, scope, or livestock on site. If you’re thinking about ways to make your workplace safer, we’re here to help. Contact our team today for more information or read more about our other projects with Silver Fern Farms here.
Learn more
A One-Stop Safety Shop for Woolworths CFDC
A one-stop safety shop — that’s how you might describe us. Especially during the Primary Connect Woolworths CFDC project. With over 280 metres of barrier, 230 metres of handrail, 34 door frame bollards, and plenty of bollards throughout the site, this was no small order. We worked alongside client Primary Connect and construction team Watts & Hughes to deliver a mix of off-the-shelf and modified safety products, each tailored to the unique layout and activity zones of the site. From protecting charging stations with bollards, to shielding expensive door mechanisms with our door frame bollards, creating safer pedestrian zones with mesh panels, and even supplying custom pre-assembled handrail for dock stairs, we covered it all. Every area presented its own challenges — from busy pedestrian zones to high-traffic loading bays — but our modular systems made it easy to adapt. Close collaboration with the site team ensured every product not only fit the space but performed exactly as needed once operations were underway. Anywhere safety was paramount, we had a solution to suit. With over six months from start to finish, this all-new site was a major project that showcased the full scope of what Tru-Gard does best: making workplaces safer. If you'd like to find out more about how we can do the same for your facility contact our team for a bespoke safety solution to suit.
Learn more
A Ewe-Nique Safety Solution for Silver Fern Farms Pareora PT.2
We are back at Silver Fern Farms Pareora to complete phase two of a large safety project at their busy meat processing factory. This time the focus was on strengthening pedestrian zones for shift workers who have to move through heavy traffic areas to reach their workstations. To overcome this hazard, we added extra 910-2 Safety Barriers to complete the walkways, as well as incoming and outgoing personnel gates and telescopic gates to separate pedestrians from vehicles. With over 600 employees split across multiple shifts, that’s plenty of pedestrians moving around the site at all hours of the day and night. Combined with the large stock trucks, containers, forklifts, bins, crates, pallets, livestock, and all of the other hazards we had already identified, this is just another layer of added protection to bring this over-120-year-old processing plant up to modern safety standards. Read part one of this Silver Fern Farms Pareora Safety Success Story, here.
Learn more
A Ewe-Nique Safety Solution for Silver Fern Farms Pareora PT.1
Silver Fern Farms in Pareora is a large sheep processing factory employing approximately 600 staff. Needless to say, that’s a lot of pedestrians moving around the site all day, every day! And they’re not the only things moving on site: large stock trucks, shipping containers, forklifts, storage bins, crates, pallets, and livestock are continuously on the move. This means the potential for an accident is always looming. The site is also more than 120 years old and wasn’t designed with the abundance of health and safety measures seen in modern processing plants. However, that was no barrier for the Silver Fern Farms team (no pun intended). With high standards of H&S company-wide, and significant effort and investment, they were prepared to bring the site up to new standards. Part of this involved addressing the many daily risks to workers, including heavy traffic, high-frequency pedestrian areas, and other hazards. That’s where we come in. Working with their team, we created a solution with safer pathways for foot traffic, protection from blind spots, and reduced chances of accidental damage. With a quick turnaround of just one week, our 910-2 Barrier + Hand Rail with a combination of Telescopic and Personnel Gates, was ready to go. The Pareora plant workers now have dedicated, highly visible, and most importantly, safer pathways that take them from A to B across the site. Read the second installment of our Silver Fern Farms Safety Success Story here.
Learn more
Securing Heights at Sawyers Bay
We always enjoy being part of new-build projects, and this one was no different. Set in a picturesque rural location, the large truck yard features heavy-duty retaining walls around the excavated ground, with a perimeter walkway requiring height safety precautions to prevent falls from the three-metre drop. Tru-Gard™ Hand Rail to the RescueTru-Gard™ Hand Rail was the ideal solution. Its lightweight design and small footprint make it simple to install on the narrow concrete base, while its certified strength ensures it can withstand human weight. The high-visibility yellow also serves as a clear cautionary signal, helping pedestrians understand the reason for the barrier. Solutions Supplied Tru-Gard™ Hand Rail Practical Safety Without CompromiseThis installation demonstrates how Tru-Gard combines certified safety, practical design, and high visibility to protect people in challenging environments, even on narrow or elevated walkways.
Learn more