Case Studies
A Prime Example of Safety at Prime Range Meats
Welcome to Prime Range Meats, a New Zealand-based supplier and processor of meats and small goods, delivering door-to-door around the country. Like many processing plants we’ve seen, the volume of traffic and pedestrians is increasing - and so are the associated risks. With door-to-door delivery and a high volume of meats being processed, the inwards and outwards goods are constantly moving on site. Trucks, forklifts, staff, site visitors, public shoppers at their retail store, and delivery drivers all make for constant activity. While there were designated heavy traffic areas on site, the deteriorating painted warnings weren’t cutting the mustard anymore. To avoid any kind of disaster, we worked alongside the Prime Range team to create clearly defined safety zones, installing our 910-2 barrier in the most hazardous spots. Combined with our personnel gates to ensure safe crossings in the shared zones, this made for a much safer site. With personnel safety now sorted, we also helped prevent damage to their facilities. We’ve all seen areas on site that are notorious for forklift bumps and scrapes, so we installed bollards at key corners and doorways, acting as both a visual reminder and a sturdy shield. If your site has a few forklift scrapes you’d like sorted, or you have high-traffic areas that need more than a fresh lick of paint, we’re happy to help. Chat to our team about making your workplace a safer one.
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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.
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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.
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Mesh Barriers That Mean Business at Woolworths AFDC
Here’s a trip down memory lane - back to 2022 and our very first installation of the Tru-Gard Mesh Barrier System. Our client, Woolworths AFDC, came to us wanting to create a safer pedestrian zone around the perimeter of their new-build distribution centre, something that would provide much greater protection than anything else on the market. One of their main concerns was the close proximity and height of stacked pallets adjacent to the walkway, and the risk that falling objects or pallets could pose to pedestrians. There was also the classic warehousing challenge of moving forklifts, vehicles, and pedestrians sharing the same space. Essentially, they needed all the benefits of a traditional barrier system that could provide vehicle protection, with the added height to prevent toppling items from endangering pedestrians. Our team created the ideal modular kit by combining our proven Tru-Gard Barrier with taller support posts and a custom mesh designed to act as a ‘net’ for falling objects. By pairing this with some modified pallet stops, this warehouse went from safety zero to safety hero. Now, pedestrians can feel safe walking around the perimeter, and forklift drivers know their vehicles and pallets are clear of pedestrian pathways. If you’re interested in a solution like this, here’s more information on the kit — or contact our sales team today. Kit details: Taller support posts at 2400mm centres Tru-Gard Barrier at 2400mm centres Tru-Gard Mesh Panels – 2250mm W x 1210mm H All fixings included Available in Galvanised or Safety Yellow over Galvanised for internal, external, wet, or dry use
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A Recipe for Safety at Mauri Flour Mill
Flour might seem light, fluffy, and admittedly a little bit messy, but when you go from the kitchen to transporting it around in bulk, it’s heavy, dusty, and combustible stuff. With stock moving around constantly at this busy flour mill, there are plenty of health and safety hazards. On-site personnel, visiting delivery drivers, forklifts carrying bulk pallets, obscured views, and noise make it a recipe for disaster, if you will. Our solution? Adding a few heaped servings of our Tru-Gard Barrier into the mix. With different configurations for different zones, we wanted to ensure we had the right safety solution for each area. From 910-2 for vehicle-only zones, to 910-2 + Hand Rail for pedestrian areas, and a super solid 910-3E with Personnel Gates for customised Driver Protection Zones. A lot of customers have been looking into driver protection options for their sites lately. From custom configurations like this one to our new Driver Protection Zone Kits, each option is designed to ensure visiting drivers have somewhere safe and secure to be while their trucks are loaded, and no one on site is unsure where they should be waiting or where the designated safety areas are. We know drivers like to make the most of a stop, getting out to stretch their legs, get some fresh air, and take a break, but making sure they can do so safely is a high priority for us. We’ve designed different configurations to suit different sites and can offer everything from a simple handrail area to a fully enclosed mesh cube, depending on the hazards on your site. After all, it takes a team to keep everyone safe. So, to wrap up, we took a couple of scoops of barriers, a pinch of accessories, and a dash of safety know-how and voilà, a piece of cake safety solution that works. If you think your on site health and safety recipe could do with a few more ingredients, get in touch with our team today to find out more.
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On Brand and On Guard at Stanley Black & Decker
When pallet racking protection is essential – but so are your brand standards – we’re here to help. That was exactly the case for Stanley Black & Decker when they were developing their new distribution site here in New Zealand. With a directive from head office that everything had to be branded in their signature yellow and black, we were only too happy to accommodate. Working alongside Dexion, who supplied the shelving and racking solutions (also in custom colours), we created a safety system that ticked both the protection and branding boxes. Enter our 610-2 Barrier – built for impact and ready to withstand accidental hits from forklifts while protecting valuable racking. It’s the ideal solution for a space of this scale. Positioned at the ends of racking, throughout key points in the warehouse, and in front of essential equipment like servers, this barrier delivers reliable protection while creating a standout finish and a strong visual deterrent for forklift drivers. ‘Easy By Design’ is the tagline of Black & Decker NZ, and with the modular and customisable nature of our products, we like to think we fit that description too. We aim to make safety as easy as possible for your site – so if custom colours are a must, you need a product modified to suit, or you’re not even sure where to start, our team is happy to work with you to create the ideal safety solution. If you’re looking for a robust solution that will also keep you safe from your marketing department, chat with our team about a custom colour safety solution that works for you. From retail environments to large-scale warehousing, we’re here to help.
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Safety Starts at Home: Protecting Our Own the Tru-Gard Way
At Tru-Gard, safety isn’t just something we supply – it’s something we live. Aka “Living Yellow” as it’s known around the office. Here in our Dunedin warehouse, we use the very same products we deliver to sites across New Zealand and Australia to keep our own team and assets protected. With forklifts, people, and products constantly on the move, we understand first-hand how these can create a hazardous mix. That’s why our warehouse is a showcase of our safety solutions in action, from pallet racking protection and handrail walkways to personnel gates, bollards, and even pallet stops to keep skips securely in place during adverse weather. We’ve considered each workstation, hazard, and product we have to find the best solution for our team. Our pallet racks are protected by pallet stops to keep products (and rubbish bins) in place, along with a combination of end-of-bay rack kits and upright protectors to guard against accidental forklift damage. Our walkways feature personnel gates and handrails, and we even have bollards in place for robot welding protection. “We help protect workplaces around New Zealand and Australia every day, so we know how hazardous a site can be, which is why we prioritised making sure our people and our assets are protected first. From pallet racking to handrail walkways and personnel gates to bollards, our site isn’t designed to meet safety requirements; it’s there to exceed them.”— Mark Taylor, Managing Director By putting our own products to the test every day, we’re proving that safety really does start at home and showing our customers exactly what the Tru-Gard Difference looks like. If you’d like to know more about turning your site safety from zero to hero, contact our team today.
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Stocked Up on Safety at Foodstuffs Dunedin
This very large and busy distribution centre, right here in our backyard (Dunedin, NZ), handles high volumes of dry grocery products every single day. Keeping supermarket shelves stocked is no small task, which means forklifts are constantly moving goods in and out, with ground personnel working in close quarters. Several workstations are located in these high-traffic zones, so the risk of injury from a forklift is a serious health and safety concern. Working alongside our team, Foodstuffs developed barrier zones around these workstations and in high foot-traffic areas to make the workplace safer for staff. Using our 910-2 system, these barriers can withstand impacts from forklifts if needed while providing a clear visual guide for drivers on where pedestrian zones are. Here’s what the team at Foodstuffs had to say about the product and install process: “Impressed with the end product and workmanship. Also impressed with the professionalism while you were on site, i.e. health and safety, documentation, speed of delivery, attitude, knowledge, and general engagement with the team.”— Matthew Peoples, Health & Safety Manager, Foodstuffs South Island If you’ve got a high-traffic, high-hazard environment, contact our team today to find out more about the Tru-Gard products best suited to your unique site and hazards.
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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.
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