How long does the safety flag need to be?
When we talk vehicle safety flags, there can sometimes be confusion.
For starters, it's never just about the flag. An assembly comes with flag, pole, and base — all of which play an important part in keeping a vehicle safely visible.
Secondly, the increasing popularity of safety flags mounted on LED poles has given that part of a flag assembly more importance.
But for all the discussion we can have around the flag pole, there's one question that counts more than anything else:
How long is long enough?
Well, to answer that, we're going to go through some "rules" that help you determine what you'll need, as the answer is a little more complex than you'd first think.
Rule 1: The Mine Site Standard
To comply with most Australian mine site standards, the flag pole generally stands between 3.2 metres to 4.2 metres from the ground to the very top of the flag pole. This applies to open pit mining and above-ground operations.
Rule 2: The Mounting Points
So knowing the height the safety flag has to reach, you must then work out where the flag will be mounted to achieve that. The two mounting points on any vehicle are the bull bar and the headboard or roof. VSF offers a full range of mounting bases for both mounting points.
Because the bull bar is lower, flag pole lengths for this mounting tend to be longer. The most common lengths for this are 2.4, 2.5, and 3 metres.
With the headboard higher, the flag poles are smaller, with common lengths being 1.2, 1.5, 1.8, and 2 metres.
Rule 3: When In Doubt, Ask The Mine Safety Officer
Having said all that, every mine site can have their own specifications that may vary slightly to the basic site standard.
So, if you're unsure about what length your safety flags have to be to meet the site standard, simply ask the mine safety officer. They should be able to give you the exact details, or even better, a spec sheet for reference.
Rule 4: Under and Over
An exception to the 3.2 metre to 4.2 metre rule are underground mines.
This is due to the confined space, leaving flag poles to be very short — in most cases, no more than 60 or 90cm. VSF's underground mining safety flags are specifically designed for confined spaces with fold-down bases to clear low ceilings.
The longer flag poles are used only around open cut and above ground mine sites.
If you're not sure about what length flag pole you need for your site, contact us on 1300 873 777 or email office@vehiclesafetyflags.com and we'll help you out. You can also browse our full range of LED safety flags and non-LED safety flags online.
