Steel posts driven into the ground are everywhere: construction sites, roadworks, farms, parks, and fenced-off development land. Most people walk past them without a second thought. Anthony Burr, founder of Safety Pickets, Inc., says that is exactly what makes them dangerous.
Burr, a former concreter who invented a reusable steel cap for these posts, says the hazard is obvious to anyone who is looking for it and nearly invisible to everyone else. That gap, along with a common assumption about plastic caps, is where many safety audits fall short.
What The Hazard Looks Like If You Don’t Know The Name
“Star picket” is the Australian term for a steel fence post with a star-shaped profile. In the US, many people would call it a steel T-post or simply a fence post. Burr says a safety officer who has never heard the term would most likely describe it as a sharp, exposed steel post.
He groups exposed steel on a construction site into two main types. The first is the steel post or star picket. The second is reinforcing bar, more commonly called rebar in the US. Burr says the company is working to cover both, with the same cap being adapted to fit rebar as well as pickets.
For anyone writing a site checklist, that distinction matters. A checklist that only asks about “fence posts” may skip right over exposed rebar, and the reverse is also true.
Obvious To Inspectors, Hidden To Everyone Else
Asked what makes an inspector flag an exposed picket as a live risk, Burr said they no longer get ignored by the people whose job it is to find them. Many posts stand out of the ground on their own and are easy to see for someone doing an inspection.
The problem is everyone else on site.
“For someone that’s looking for an issue, they don’t get hidden. Whereas somebody that’s going in not looking for the issues, they are hidden,” Burr said. “And that’s when they walk into them.”
Workers carrying materials, focused on a task, or moving quickly between areas are not scanning the ground for steel. That is when shins get cut and, in worse cases, someone falls onto a post.
The Plastic Cap Problem Audits Overlook
The most common gap Burr sees in safety audits is the assumption that any cover counts as protection. On many sites, a plastic cap on top of a post is enough to check the box.
“The plastic cap is only a visual. It’s not actually preventative because it’s so weak,” he said. “It’s just a tick the box if you put a bit of plastic on there rather than, we’re trying to solve and prevent the problem completely.”
Burr also notes that people who have used plastic caps see them broken and scattered across sites, because they become brittle over time. A post that had a cap on Monday may not have one by Friday.
That suggests a few questions many checklists leave out:
- Is every exposed post and bar still covered? Not just at setup, but at every inspection.
- Would the cover hold if someone fell onto it? A cap that shatters under weight is a warning, not a barrier.
- Is the cover cracked, loose, or missing? Brittle caps fail quietly between inspections.
Not Just A Construction Site Problem
The hazard is not limited to building sites. Burr recalled a presentation to a woman who works for a large supplier in Australia. She told him that when she was younger, a friend of hers was bucked off a horse and landed on a steel post that had no cap on it, and was impaled.
Stories like that are why the company now targets agriculture and equine properties alongside construction. On a farm, a post may stand in the same spot for years, and the people and animals around it are not thinking about site safety at all.
For safety officers, property managers, and farm owners, the lesson is the same. The question is not whether a post has something on top of it. The question is whether that cover would actually stop an injury.
Safety Pickets, Inc. designs and manufactures a patented, reusable steel safety cap for star pickets and t-posts, currently sold across Australia and expanding into the US market. Learn more at safetypickets.com.
This article is intended for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal, financial, or investment advice. The views and opinions expressed herein reflect those of the individuals quoted and do not represent an endorsement of any company, product, or service mentioned. Readers should conduct their own due diligence and consult qualified professionals before making any investment decisions.
Media Contact Information
Heather Hook
KeyCrew Media
Disclosure: Individuals or companies mentioned may have a commercial relationship with KeyCrew.
