Link 150/3 Pedestrian Safety Barrier: an honest review

When researching the right barrier for your building, you will find many of options available. Your search for the right solution has led you here; to MPM Link 150/3.

Now you want to learn more.

MPM Link 150/3 is a high performance polymer pedestrian segregation barrier, quite a mouthful I know but by the end of this article you will understand what I mean by this. You will also understand the advantages and disadvantages of MPM LINK 150/3.

MPM LINK 150/3 is supplied and installed by ourselves, Clarity. We have been supplying pedestrian segregation products for many years and MPM LINK 150/3 is one of our highest performance products.

If you have a factory or warehouse in the UK and you have materials handling equipment (glorified name for a forklift truck), you've likely faced some challenges keeping people apart from your vehicles.

1 in 10 forklift trucks are involved in a workplace incident!

The average claim for a forklift truck incident sits at around £43,000

What is MPM LINK 150/3?

There are hundreds of different types of barriers for warehouses and factories, MPM LINK 150/3 is specifically designed for for segregating people from moving equipment, namely heavy equipment. This polymer barrier is manufactured by MPM in Italy hence the MPM bit of the name, the 'LINK' refers to the way that the rails attach to the posts. LINK 150/3 is a pedestrian segregation barrier.

The '150' refers to the size of the largest element in the barrier- the post. This is measured from front to back. At 150mm, this is still a narrow profile barrier exspecially considering the performance characteristisc of it.

The impact resistance of 52,200J is one of the main characteristics of this barrier, as a result it is very popular in industries operating heavy forklift trucks up to 15 tonne.

MPM LINK 150/3 is a flexible polymer barrier with a slim profile, is manufactured from a PVC blend, and is manufactured as standard in a bright yellow Ral 1018 as per OSHA safety standards.

Customers normally purchase MPM LINK 150/3 in 2M sections; however, a wide range of bespoke options are available.

In short, MPM LINK 150/3 is a flexible polymer barrier for segregating pedestrians and heavy forklift trucks.

What are the advantages of MPM LINK 150/3?

Now that you have an idea of what MPM LINK 150/3 is, its time to look at some of the advantages of choosing this product.

MPM LINK 150/3 has a very high impact-resistanc

MPM LINK 150/3 is a polymer barrier which means it has been designed to absorb impacts up to 52200 Joules at 45 degree impact angle (See PAS 13 for more information), this is the equivalent to a 20 tonne FLT traveling at just over 5MPH. Many warehouses throughout the UK have installed steel barriers to segregate people from equipment. Steel barriers are a low-cost option, but due to steel being rigid, they can cause significant damage to the concrete floor, the forklift truck, and the barrier itself in the event of an impact.

By choosing a polymer barrier, you are investing in an overall lower cost option as the barrier can take many impacts without needing to be replaced, repaired, touched up, or have the floor fixed.

MPM LINK 150/3 has been tested and verified by TUV

Not every polymer barrier has been so fully tested or third-party tested. Some polymer barriers actually do not even have an impact rating. With MPM LINK 150/3 you can be assured that barrier will perform according to the stated impact ratings.

MPM LINK 150/3 has adjustable height rails

One of the many benefits of the MPM LINK 150/3 is that the rails are height-adjustable. If, for example, you are producing a product that is moved around your factory on trolleys, the rails can be moved to the exact height to suit your product, giving your people the maximum protection.

MPM LINK 150/3 is modular in design

With a modular barrier, you can change the layout of your barriers to accomodate changes in your requirements. Link 150/3 can be extended, shortened and change direction without having to replace your complete barrier system.

A modular barrier system like the MPM LINK 150/3 barrier allows you to adjust and tailor the barrier to your requirements. You can fine-tune the rail lengths to fit exactly as per your requirements rather than be limited by the manufacturers standard lengths, which are often in 100mm or 250mm increments.

Download the installation guide here

MPM LINK 150/3 is perfect for external use.

MPM Link 150/3 is UV stable and suitable for internal and external protection. Many barriers fade and look tired after a couple of years in the sun, MPM LINK 150 has been used extensively for outdoor projects as well as interior pedestrian safety. 

MPM LINK150/3 is V0 fire rated

Before 2017, it was common practice to use flammable materials within a design envelope in construction projects. Since the fatal Grenfell Tower fire (which claimed the lives of 70 people and injured many more), people have become much more aware of material selection when choosing products, especially safety-related products for their warehouses. All of the MPM LINK range of barriers are V0 fire-rated.

A V-0 fire rating is a classification that indicates a material is highly resistant to fire and will quickly extinguish if it does catch fire. Its part of the UL94 flammability rating system, which is used to assess the fire safety of plastic materials.

MPM Link 150/3 is compatible with the Safeway gate

When investing in a premium pedestrian segregation system, features such as locking gates are often overlooked, the MPM LINK 150/3 is compatible with the safeway gate, the V2 verison of this system is also now IP65 rated for external pedestrian protection.

MPM LINK 150/3 has flat-faced ribbed rails

One of the criticisms of the round section barriers is that a pallet or forks tend to ride over or below, by making the rails flat-faced, we can use the rail to catch the pallet or forks to prevent them from passing through the barrier like this:

MPM LINK 150/3 is compliant with global colour standards

Many companies across Europe use the colour yellow to mark safe walkways and traffic routes, the same yellow is harmonious with the MPM PED barriers as can be seen in the walkway below:

What are the disadvantages of MPM LINK 150/3?

While most companies dont like to 'expose' the weaknesses of their products, we would like to provide the full picture. We want to make sure you're aware of what some companies dont like about MPM LINK 150/3.

Link 150/3 is our highest cost polymer pedestrian barrier

At £300/Metre, LINK 150/3 is one of higher cost products meaning that on paper, a competitors product may appear cheaper. If you don't need an impact resistance of over 50KJ and modular, height-adjustable rails then consider the PED 90 or PED 150 pedestrian segregation barrier products.

Limited options for curved walkways

When choosing a barrier which needs to follow a curved route - the LINK 150/3 has a limited range of options for different angles. As standard, 90 degree and a 180 degree are available. There is enough tolerance in the design to adjust the angles by a maximum of a further 15 degrees. If you have a curved walkway outside of this then you may need to consider an increased number of posts to accomodate an tighter radius.

What should you consider when choosing the right barrier for you?

Now that you have a better idea of LINK 150/3, you have read the article and understand what the product is and some pros and cons. Its now time to look at your requirements. Do you have the right pedestrian segregation barrier?

We often get asked this at Clarity, as barrier suppliers and installers, we will give our opinion on which product we think will (and won't) work for you.

When it comes to selecting a suitable pedestrian segregation barrier for you, whether its LINK 150/3 or not, it's important to understand your requirements fully before selecting a suitable barrier.

If you want one of our barrier experts to help you with your requirements, you can reach out by clicking on the banner in the top right of this page.

However, if you want to research yourself, you can click on the button below to take you to the free, downloadable pedestrian safety guide.