Barriers are classified according to the following measurements after a single impact by a vehicle of a defined mass, velocity and angle of impact:
- The distance the vehicle passed beyond the plane of the barrier.
- The distance the major debris dispersed beyond the plane of the barrier.
While many products placed on the market claim to deliver performance commensurate with that required in PAS 68, few claims are supported by independent approvals such as that provided by LPCB. This leaves specifiers vulnerable to changes to the products specification which may not be evident when presented with a copy of a type test report.
The products’ performance is a factor of its design, quality of manufacture and how it is installed, maintained and used. LPCB’s approval scheme therefore targets these factors. In doing so, LPCB certification and Red Book listing provides specifiers and users independent assurance that the impact classification allocated to vehicle security barriers reflect their performance when installed and maintained in accordance with the product instructions.
LPCB also offers optional approval confirming a vehicle barrier’s resistance to manual attacks aimed at undermining the barrier’s ability to prevent a vehicle passing it unhindered in accordance with LPS 1175 Requirements and testing procedures for the LPCB approval and listing of intruder resistant building components, strongpoints, security enclosures and free-standing barriers.
The scope of LPCB approvals is due to be extended to cover vehicle barriers to the following international standards:
- CEN Workshop Agreement CWA 16221: 2010 Vehicle security barriers. Performance requirements, test methods and guidance on application.
- ISO International Workshop Agreement IWA 14-1: 2014 Vehicle security barriers. Part 1: Performance requirements, vehicle impact test method and performance rating.
The following products that can be approved under 'Vehicle security barriers' is:
- Fixed bollards
- Rising bollards
- Road blockers
- Drop arm barriers
In addition to ensuring the barrier resists vehicle impact, it is important to ensure control equipment used to operate raising bollards, blockers and other powered barriers is suitably resistant to being tampered with to prevent the barrier being operated. Specifiers should therefore consider specifying such equipment is housed within suitably secure enclosures approved to LPS 1175. These can be found under 'Secure enclosures'.
