Types

• Different types of stanchion are available for outdoor and indoor use. Some have retractable tapes, while others have hooks or loops to which chains or ropes can be attached. They are usually made of metal, but plastic ones that can be filled with ballast are also available. Some stanchions are designed to carry warning or safety signs.
  
  

Uses

• Stanchion systems are often used in crowd-control situations. By holding back hordes who would otherwise press forward in an uncontrolled manner, they can prevent people from being trampled and seriously injured. Stanchions are also used to cordon off unsafe areas, such as expanses of wet floor or holes in the ground. On construction sites, stanchions can be used to support safety netting to catch falling debris.
  
  

Safety Features

• Portable stanchions have heavy bases to prevent them from falling over, even if people are pressing against them. The best crowd-control stanchions have locking ends on the retractable tapes to prevent accidental release, and a braking system so the belt does not recoil like a whip and cause injury to passerby. Stanchion height should comply with ADA guidelines in relation to visually-impaired people using canes or seeing-eye dogs.