Two caps that look alike and do opposite jobs
One keeps the joint usable. The other keeps a person alive. They are not interchangeable, and they end up in the same bucket.
Both are plastic, both push onto the end of a reinforcement bar, and on a busy site they end up in the same bucket. They are not the same product, and substituting one for the other fails in both directions.
The thread cap protects the joint
A PVC Rebar Thread Protection Cap covers a prepared end between the workshop and the moment of assembly. A thread that has been dropped, dragged or left out in the rain is not always visibly damaged. The point at which anyone finds out is when the coupler will not run onto it, with the cage already in position.
The impalement cap protects the person
A Rebar Impalement Cap is safety equipment. It sits on projecting starter bars and is shaped to spread a falling load across a wider area. A thread cap on a projecting bar looks like protection and is not.
- Thread caps go on prepared ends, in transit and in storage
- Impalement caps go on anything projecting that a person could fall onto
- Neither is a substitute for the other
- Both are cheap enough that running out is a planning failure rather than a cost
The cheapest item on the job is the one whose absence stops it.
