How to Make Safe and Effective Safety Partitions: Part 1

Build a PVC Safety Partition for Social Distancing

With the ongoing coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, businesses, schools, and organizations continue searching for ways to safely reopen while maintaining proper distancing. Unfortunately, sourcing commercial barriers can be expensive and quickly deplete budgets. That’s why we’ve created this three-part series showing how to build durable and cost-effective PVC safety partitions for a wide range of environments.

Why Build COVID-19 Barriers with PVC?

PVC is the perfect material for constructing safety partitions — it’s lightweight, easy to sanitize using off-the-shelf disinfectants, and significantly less expensive than steel or plexiglass systems. PVC structures can also be adjusted or customized easily, making them ideal for offices, schools, or retail environments.

As with all FORMUFIT plans, you can modify the design to meet your space and budget. This particular project uses polyethylene sheeting for the barrier — an inexpensive and widely available material. You can substitute cloth, acrylic, or other materials as needed. Pair the frame with our PipeClamp™ system for quick and easy material attachment and removal.

Part 1: The Standard/Basic Partition

Our first project in this series demonstrates how to build a Standard PVC Safety Partition using 1" Furniture Grade PVC pipe and fittings. This lightweight, easy-to-move divider separates individuals in offices, classrooms, or checkout areas, providing safety and comfort without disrupting lighting or workspace layout.

To go directly to the build instructions, visit the PVC Basic Safety Partition Plan in our PVC Plans Library.

Modification Ideas

You can adjust this design to fit your workspace. However, because 1" PVC pipe may flex horizontally beyond 48" spans, we recommend keeping pipe sections under 4 ft in length. For wider partitions, replace the top corner 90° elbows with Tees, swap the Tees for Crosses, and use 5-Ways on the corners to extend width and stability.

Multiple partitions can also be linked using Bungee Ball Ties or nylon zip ties to create longer continuous barriers or complete room separations.

To enhance stability, consider customizing the base. A wider leg structure can minimize tripping hazards. Below is a simple example of an alternate base option:

More to Come

This is the first design in our PVC Safety Partition Series. Stay tuned for upcoming plans including a mobile partition, desk-mounted version, and counter partition — all available free in the FORMUFIT PVC Plans Library with detailed part lists and assembly instructions.