How cable protectors can improve safety

Cable protectors are a great way to hide that unsightly mess of cables snaking through your floor or wall, and they can also improve safety. They can be used at home or in the office, at events and festivals or for industrial uses. Cable protectors have quite a few benefits and they are a cost-efficient way to keep your cables tidy and out of the way. Here is how the different cable protectors can improve safety.

Outdoor cable protectors

Also known as external or exterior cable protectors, they are made to withstand an outdoor environment, protecting cables from damp, unwanted tampering and from vehicles or passers-by going over the cables. Usually made from thick, durable PVC, rubber or a hard plastic like polyurethane. 

Dropovers

Dropovers are mainly used on construction sites and industrial settings. They are dropped on top of the cables, wiring or even pipes to ensure the safe passage of vehicles and pedestrians over the covered area.

Loose wiring can be dangerous, not only as it creates a ‘trip and fall’ hazard but also because, if a wire is broken, a person can get electrocuted. Protecting your wire and cables keeps both them and passers-by safe.

Cable ramps

Cable ramps allow vehicles and wheelchairs to pass across them easily while protecting your cables from the weight and tyres of vehicles. They can be used outside or inside. They are a type of dropover, but longer than normal ones to create a ramp/bridge-like protection over the cables.

Channel protectors and guards

Channel protectors and guards essentially work like dropovers but with an added organisational system. Rather than just being dropped over the cables, wiring or pipes the protectors have tube-like channels to accommodate different cables. This way they are protected and also kept separate so it’s easy to access the ones you need. The protectors have a different number of channels so you are sure to find one that fits your needs.

Cable mats

Cable mats can encompass bigger spaces, hiding the cables underneath. Some cable mats will have channels to organise your wires but in some cases a mat without channels may prove more versatile.

This is a good option for offices as, in these spaces, the risks associated with exposed wiring shifts more to people rather than to machines that may go over it. In an office area the concern shifts mostly to a tripping hazard. Putting a small cover over cables may still create a bump and be considered a tripping hazard. This is why a cable mat may prove a good solution to cover the cables in a safe way.