Pallet racking safety, is my pallet racking safe?
Thinking about pallet racking safety, is my pallet racking safe? The safety of pallet racking is very important as it could cost lives not to mention damaged goods. So it is best left to experienced professional pallet racking safety inspectors. A good guide is if your pallet racking is less than ten years old, free of impact damage and any corrosion.
With this said it needs an expert to check if the correct pallet racking components are fitted and other details are checked. For instance just one simple change to a pallet racking installation could well reduce its safe loadings and mean you have overloaded your pallet racking with a danger of potential collapse.
If you increase the first beam level you could be undermining the structural integrity of your pallet racking. These small changes can make a big difference so you can understand the need for an annual pallet racking safety inspection.
So to check if your pallet racking is safe, call our pallet racking safety and design team here at our headquarters in Yorkshire, so we can arrange a pallet racking safety inspection or simply get some free advice.
Most common issues
The first and actually one of the most important pallet racking safety inspections most common issues are missing or incorrect rack end safety load notices. It is common to find pallet racking being used with missing or incorrect rack end safety load notices. They have normally either never been fitted or been damaged. Although it is not uncommon to find rack end safety load notices with the wrong loadings or bay loads not specified. The danger is that those using the racking could easily overload the racking without realising.
The second most common issue is missing beam clips or bolted beams. It is very unusual for a manufacture to allow or recommend that beams are bolted in APR pallet racking, but it is amazing to see the number of well meaning warehouse staff or maintenance staff bolting beams in position. The danger being that if all the pallet racking is nicely bolted together and you have an impact at one end you could increase the likelihood of a total collapse of the racking. Then you see issues caused by Fork Lift Truck or pallet impact or corrosion affecting the structural integrity of the pallet racking. With poor repairs carried out by untrained installation and repair teams often causing some of the greatest alarm. With missing bracing, incorrect frame and upright splicing, different makes of pallet racking forced together just some of the issues.
If you need a more advice on pallet racking safety inspections in Yorkshire or the North call our team on 01937 585 057.
Looking for pallet racking upright protection?
Most pallet racking suffers some impact damage over its working life hence the need for an annual pallet racking safety inspection. One of the main areas that suffer impact damage is the bottom 2mtrs of the upright often fork lift trucks will reverse into the uprights or pallets hit the upright as they are picked or placed into the racks. The use of upright guards is a very sensible investment with ballistic grade polymer guards costing twenty to forty pounds. The cost of replacing a single upright could range from a few hundred pounds to a thousand depending on bay size, specification and racking type. This figure can change dramatically with economy of scales but even so investing in good pallet racking protection will save far more in repair costs than the initial outlay of the rack protection. So if you have tight aisles and high pick rates these guards can pay for themselves in a very short time. For more advice on rack protect and rack safety give our expert team a call here at our base in Yorkshire on 01765 640 160.
Safety Guidelines
Never climb onto pallet racks as they are not designed to be climbed on.
Never be tempted to overload or exceed the recommended load specifications.
Safety audits should be performed on a regular basis by a SEMA qualified inspector.
Ensure you have highly visible warning signs.
For full Code of Practice Guidelines follow the link below: