Safety mirrors

Safety mirrors: seeing what you otherwise cannot

A safety mirror reveals what is hidden behind a corner, a wall or a row of parked vehicles. At an exit, in a warehouse aisle or at a junction with poor visibility, it is often the cheapest measure that prevents a collision.

We supply and install safety mirrors for companies, warehouses, local authorities, schools, hospitals, car parks and shops.

Where they are most useful

• Exits where the view of the road is blocked by a facade, a hedge or parked vehicles.
• Aisle junctions in a warehouse where forklifts and pedestrians meet.
• Ramps in a multi-storey car park, where there is no view up or down.
• Blind corners in a production hall.
• Shops, where a convex mirror allows areas that cannot be seen from the till to be supervised.

What a mirror does not do is assign right of way. It informs; it is no substitute for signage or for an agreement about who goes first. Where the risk is high, it is better combined with a sign, a floor marking or impact protection.

Indoors or outdoors: the material really does differ

This is the most important choice and at the same time the most neglected one.

An indoor mirror is usually acrylic: cheap, light and with a sharp image. Outdoors, acrylic weathers: it yellows, scratches and turns cloudy after a few years, precisely when you need it.

For outdoor use, choose polycarbonate or a polyester mirror with a coated surface. These are impact resistant, UV stable and frost proof. Stainless steel is used in industrial or food environments where cleaning is intensive.

With an outdoor mirror, also ask about the mounting bracket: a plastic bracket with a metal mirror is the point that breaks after two winters.

Shape and field of view

• Round convex mirrors give a wide view in every direction. The classic choice for aisle junctions and for exits.
• Half-dome and dome mirrors cover an angle of ninety or one hundred and eighty degrees and are hung from ceilings, mainly in shops and warehouses.
• Rectangular mirrors give a more focused image over a longer distance and work better along a straight road.

The diameter determines how far away you can still recognise something. A mirror that is too small at too great a distance shows movement but not what is moving, and that is not enough to act on. We set the diameter on the basis of the actual viewing distance.

Installation

A few points that make the difference:

• Set the angle with someone standing where the hazard comes from, not by feel. A mirror that is ten degrees out shows the wrong half.
• Hang it high enough not to be touched or turned, but low enough to fall within the natural field of view.
• Outdoors, a hood is worth considering: it keeps rain off the surface and limits glare when the sun is low.
• Heated versions exist for locations where condensation or frost regularly takes the image away, such as cold stores and unheated car parks.

What determines the price?

Safety mirrors have no fixed unit price. The cost follows from the material (acrylic, polycarbonate, polyester or stainless steel), the shape and the diameter, whether the version is intended for indoor or outdoor use, accessories such as a hood, a heating element or a heavy mounting bracket, the number of pieces, and the installation, including the working height.

Send us the viewing distance, the location and whether it is indoors or outdoors, and you get a proposal with the right diameter.

Asking for advice

Send us a photo of the corner or the exit with an idea of the distances. We will tell you which diameter and which specification will work there.