As you walk or drive into open spaces of storey buildings such as parking lots, you may have noticed some square-shaped yellow markings placed on the columns.
The markings are referred to as corner guards and play a protective role in buildings that depend on the columns for structural integrity.
Given the fact that most parking lots in buildings are often tight spaces, motorists tend to have accidents including hitting the concrete columns.
These accidents, in most cases, happen when a driver is negotiating a corner or reversing.
During such accidents, the concrete pillars often get damaged and weaken as some parts of the concrete fall off.
In the event that such accidents occur severally, the columns can weaken or become completely damaged and in the long run affect the structural strength of the building.
Therefore, contractors often install guards to protect the building.
Additionally, the marks are also used to control the excessive damage to vehicles in case of accidents. Cars are likely to be more damaged when they hit columns without corner guards.
"The energy absorbing properties of corner protectors helps prevent excessive destruction of property or vehicles.
"Buildings' corner protectors can also be installed on H-frame racking, used horizontally as rack guards or horizontally on loading docks," Absorbents - a leading manufacturer of corner guards states.
While some use metallic guards, others prefer to use some made of High-Density Polyethylene (HDPE) that are cheaper.
In terms of colour, corner guards are usually yellow because it is easily visible. Yellow communicates warning hence motorists tend to slow down or exercise caution when approaching a given yellow-marked area.
In some instances, other building owners prefer covering the guards with reflective paper which improves their visibility at night.
