Plastic caps for steel fence posts are ubiquitous on construction sites because they are inexpensive. But Anthony Burr, founder of Safety Pickets, Inc., argues that the low upfront price masks significant hidden costs that can far exceed the initial savings. Burr, a former concreter who worked around exposed steel star pickets (known as steel T-posts in the US), invented a reusable steel cap to address the dangers and inefficiencies of plastic alternatives.
Burr’s cost comparison begins with a basic order: covering 100 posts with his company’s steel caps costs roughly $250 to $300, and the caps can be reused indefinitely. In contrast, he cites an Australian case where uncovered posts led to a fall and a fine of $115,000—a figure that excludes site shutdown, medical bills, and legal claims. “That’s just a fine,” Burr said. For contractors weighing a few hundred dollars against a six-figure penalty, the gap is stark.
Even minor injuries add up. If a worker cuts a shin on an exposed post and needs stitches, the contractor pays for medical care, the day of the injury, and any additional days off. “It can go into the tens of thousands easily,” Burr said. These costs are often overlooked when comparing plastic and steel caps.
Beyond liability, plastic caps incur ongoing replacement costs. They break, blow away, and become brittle in sun and rain. When Safety Pickets runs comparisons for customers switching from plastic, it excludes liability and focuses solely on replacement costs. According to Burr, covering 1,000 posts over five years with reusable steel caps yields a 60 percent saving compared with continually rebuying plastic ones. He adds that steel caps do not rust and will likely outlast the posts themselves. The company details how reusable steel caps cut replacement and waste on its sustainability page.
Labor is another hidden cost. Plastic caps must be put on and taken off every time posts are used—a task Burr describes as the job no one wants. “Every time you put them on, there’s probably half an hour. Every time you take them off, there’s another half an hour,” he said. “So it adds up quite quickly that the plastic caps aren’t actually cheaper.”
Liability extends beyond one’s own crew. If someone wanders onto a site after hours and gets hurt on an exposed post, the owner can still face legal action. “They shouldn’t have, but they have every right to be able to sue,” Burr said. For US contractors and property owners, where legal claims after injuries are common, this exposure is worth factoring into any decision about covering exposed steel.
For contractors still using plastic caps because nothing has gone wrong yet, Burr’s advice is blunt: “If something can go wrong, then it will. So just the labor costs, the liability, the headaches, and the stress are all hidden costs. Hidden costs that will add up over time. You may not have to outlay it. But it catches up very quickly.” He suggests pricing out replacement caps over several years, labor hours, and the realistic cost of a single injury, then comparing that to the one-time cost of a reusable option. 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.
