There are currently about 217 million people living with visual impairments, and of those 217 million people, 36 million are estimated to be completely blind. Obtaining visual information and moving from place to place, especially in crowded areas, can prove to be difficult for people with visual impairments. In 2023, the National Library of Medicine conducted a study to evaluate the extent to which people living with visual impairments are at risk of falling from railway station platforms. The train station can potentially be fatal, as 76% of those with visual impairments have reported an experience of falling from the platform and 91% reported almost falling.
The biggest issue the study found was a lack of fall prevention hoods, wide gaps between the platforms and train cars, and directional tactile pavers installed near the front end of the train cars. Researchers also wanted to use what they found to highlight opportunities for improvement of railways systems in terms of accommodating the visually impaired.
This is why Impact Recovery has designed a platform-mounted guarding system, called Sentinel Between Car Barrier System (BCB), to alert visually impaired riders to the space between the rail cars, letting them know that it is not a door opening. This allows them to avoid a gap and deters them from falling to the rails below.
Sentinel also offers reactive spring technology in the case of an emergency. Built into every Sentinel upright is our patented reactive spring system. A unique compression spring assembly is concealed within each post offering optimal strength to support our flexible uprights while allowing them to remain traversable.
Help protect people with visual impairments on your transit systems with the only platform-mounted between-car barrier system that meets the provisions by The Federal Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA) and the Federal Transit Administration (FTA).
Mizuno, T., & Tokuda, K. (2023b, March 21). Reducing falls among visually impaired individuals on railway platforms: Field research on environmental challenges and solutions. Heliyon. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10060185/
In honor of National Bike Safety Month, we would like to highlight some of the ways that you can help keep cyclists safe out on the road. In 2021, the National Safety Council reported that 1,230 people died in bicycle-related accidents. We would like to discuss some helpful tips that can be used to prevent these accidents and how our products at Impact Recovery can help protect pedestrians and cyclists.
It is important for cyclists to have proper protection when they are on busy, public roads. Riding directly next to traffic leaves cyclists exposed and vulnerable to fatal accidents. According to the U.S. Department of Transportation, protected bike lanes reduce the risk of injury by 75% compared to unprotected bike lanes. This is why Impact Recovery offers an array of traffic safety products for pedestrians, such as our OmegaPost, MP2 post, and Tuff Post.
The OmegaPost is ideal for lane separation when managing heavy-loads and high-speed impacts. This product surpasses most industry posts due to its lightweight and high-speed impact tolerance.
The MP2 Post is ideal for lane separation and bike lane protection. This product is a flexible polyethylene delineator and channelization post, allowing it to stand alone with a base or pair with a Tuff Curb or Tuff Curb XLP.
The Tuff Post is a durable, flexible polypropylene delineator and channelization post. This product is intended to function as a lane divider and bike lane protector for use at lower speeds.
Remember to always take cyclists into consideration by driving with caution near bicycle lanes and making sure bike lanes are properly protected.
Bicycle deaths. Injury Facts. (2023, November 6). https://injuryfacts.nsc.org/home-and-community/safety-topics/bicycle-deaths/
In honor of National Supply Chain Day, Impact Recovery wanted to give a special shout out to Production and Purchasing Manager Barbara Cheatham. Barbara oversees everything from assembly to the shipping process out in the warehouse. With almost 20 years at Impact Recovery, we asked Barbara to share a few things for National Supply Chain Day.
The supply chain process has evolved immensely since Barbara first started working at Impact Recovery. According to Barbara, when she first started working at the company, they didn’t have an Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) software to organize the flow of operations in the warehouse. This system allows employees to easily organize reports, schedules, and orders. While the addition has also proven to be efficient for keeping track of inventory, Barbara finds it important to not completely rely on computers and verify with physical count.
Barbara implemented daily production meetings and reports from the ERP system which are used to cross-check against inventory. While working closely with the warehouse management team to ensure that all individuals are playing their part to allow the supply chain to run smoothly.
With the increase of delivery services such as Amazon Prime, it can be difficult for smaller companies to compete. However, Impact Recovery “strives very hard to get their customer everything they need on time.” Using daily schedules and strict timelines, Impact Recovery is dedicated to getting customers’ orders out on time. Cost is important as well, “always getting the cheap part is not the best route and we know that.” Impact Recovery is dedicated to delivering reliable products.
Impact Recovery just expanded its’ facility by building a third warehouse, so Barbara is excited about the future growth that will be bringing into the supply chain, “we’re striving to be bigger and broader.”
Impact Recovery wants to thank Barbara and her employees for all their hard work and for being part of Impact Recovery’s supply chain.