Crash-rated bollard installation

What is it?

What are crash-rated (HVM) bollards?

A crash-rated bollard is a vehicle security barrier that has been impact-tested, together with its foundation, against a defined vehicle at a defined speed under ISO 22343-1, or the earlier PAS 68 and IWA 14-1 standards it superseded (products tested to those remain accepted). Its rating records the test vehicle, the impact speed and angle, and how far the vehicle travelled past the bollard line. The rating only holds when the bollard is installed to the same foundation design that was tested.

Crash-rated bollards are used where a vehicle could be driven deliberately at people or at a building: entrances to public and corporate buildings, stadiums, transport hubs, data centres, shopping streets and event spaces. Unlike an ordinary steel post, each model has a published test result, so the product can be matched to the threat a security adviser has identified rather than to how solid a post looks.

We supply and install manufacturer-tested bollards using installation crews working under our management. We do not design hostile vehicle mitigation schemes or decide the threat level. That work sits with the client's security adviser, consultant or the manufacturer's technical team. Our job is to build exactly what has been specified, to the tested foundation detail, and to record what went into the ground so the rating can be relied on later.

Where crash-rated bollards make sense

• Building entrances and forecourts flagged in a security risk assessment
• Pedestrianised streets, plazas and crowded public spaces
• Stadiums, arenas and event venues with predictable crowd flows
• Data centres, utilities and critical infrastructure perimeters
• Glazed frontages on corporate and public buildings
• Transport interchanges, taxi ranks and drop-off zones
• Sites where a vehicle dynamics assessment shows a long straight run-up

How it works

A rated bollard works as a system rather than a post. The visible part is usually a thick-walled steel core, sometimes with an internal insert, set into a reinforced concrete foundation that resists the overturning force when a vehicle strikes it. On impact the post and foundation take the vehicle's energy and pass it into the surrounding ground. The test records whether the vehicle was stopped and how far it travelled past the barrier, known as the penetration distance (measured from the front face under IWA 14-1 and ISO 22343, from the back face under PAS 68).

Ratings are written as a short code. Under IWA 14-1 and ISO 22343-1 the code states the test vehicle class and mass, the impact speed, the angle of approach and the measured penetration; PAS 68 follows a similar pattern. Test vehicles range from a passenger car to heavy goods vehicles, at speeds such as 32, 48, 64 or 80 km/h. A higher rating is not automatically better: the right product matches the speed a vehicle can realistically reach on that approach.

Posts are spaced so that a vehicle cannot squeeze between them, which in practice usually means a clear gap of no more than about 1,200 mm. Some ranges are tested as a row tied together on a continuous beam rather than as individual posts, in which case the rating applies only to that tested arrangement, including any minimum number of posts in the run.

Options and finishes

Typical specification

How we install it

Ground, foundations and buried services

Rated foundations are large, and excavation is often where projects run into trouble. Footways and forecourts in towns are usually crowded with cables, gas mains, water pipes and old drainage, and a single unexpected duct can stop a bollard position. Utility records, radar scanning and hand-dug trial holes come before any machine work, and service diversions can take longer than the bollard installation itself. Made ground, a high water table or soft clay may need an engineer to confirm the tested design suits the site; any change to depth, width or reinforcement must be agreed in writing by the manufacturer, or the rating may no longer apply. Reinstatement matches paving, tactile surfaces and kerbs.

Rules and checks before you order

• Check that the test certificate matches the exact model, configuration and foundation being installed, and keep it with the site records.
• Confirm who owns the land: works on public highway usually need the highway authority's agreement, and permanent street furniture there may need a licence.
• Balance the gaps: narrow enough to stop a vehicle, typically no more than about 1,200 mm, but wide enough for wheelchair users and buggies — check against Inclusive Mobility guidance.
• Ask the local planning authority whether consent is needed, particularly in conservation areas or near listed buildings.
• Agree how emergency vehicles will get through, and refer to guidance on selecting and installing vehicle security barriers such as PAS 69 or ISO 22343-2.

See rules and standards by nation for highway consent, accessibility and security standards.

Maintenance

Static rated bollards need little routine work, but they should be inspected periodically and always after any impact. Look for cracked surfacing at the base, movement, damaged covers and faded bands. A rated bollard that has stopped a vehicle has done its job and should be assessed with the manufacturer; in most cases the post, and sometimes the foundation insert, is replaced rather than straightened. Movable rated bollards need a planned servicing schedule. Keep inspection records with the original test certificate so the line's condition can be shown to insurers or a security adviser.

What affects the price

• The rating required and the product range that achieves it
• Depth and volume of excavation, reinforcement and concrete
• Buried services, diversions and ground investigation
• Number of posts and whether a linked beam system is needed
• Covers, finishes and any integrated lighting
• Traffic management, restricted working hours or night work in occupied sites
• Reinstatement of natural stone, tactile paving or specialist surfaces