Pallet Racking Health & Safety – Stacking the Odds
25 Jul 2013
Pallet racking is an effective storage solution for warehouses, but it needs to be used safely and effectively. Here is a quick guide to the potential issues involved with racking and how you can help to alleviate them.
Effective planning
Ensuring that you have a safe racking system installed starts by making sure you provide the manufacturer with a comprehensive specification. Most of the issues connected with racking stem from not planning out your requirements in advance. Once the manufacturer has the right information, they can suggest the most effective solution for your space restrictions and requirements. Without this knowledge, they could design a system that isn’t safe for your needs or flexible enough. You need to provide the manufacturer with details of:
- The building structure and floor properties
- The type and quality of the pallets you’ll be using
- The goods that are to be stored and how they’ll be packed
- The handling equipment you’ll be using
- The location of rack sprinklers
Understand your clearance limits
When you are planning your racking system you need to factor in enough clearance both between the pallets and loads and between the top of the loads and the beam above. There should also be adequate space around the racking in order to manoeuvre the handling equipment. If you do not allow enough space it could lead to injuries or damage to the goods or equipment. It is important that you take into account any changes that you make in terms of equipment or products, as this could affect the clearance limits.
Take the right precautions
If you install the right preventative measures, then you can stop accidents happening or damage occurring in the first place. Handling equipment can damage pallet racking if not used correctly and this could limit the load capacity, making the structure unsafe. To prevent this from taking place, you can have upright protectors fitted to the racking and ensure that aisles are wide enough to accommodate the equipment. The protectors can be fitted to the corners of aisles and gangways or at the entry of drive-in racking.
Correct installation
By following the correct installation procedures, you can help to ensure that your racking is safe for your intended use. It is essential that you have fully qualified and experienced fitters to install the racking. SEIRS (The Storage Equipment Installers Registration Scheme) registered installers are fully trained and understand all the health and safety requirements and relevant legislation.
By following this process carefully, you will ensure that your racking is designed to suit your needs and that it’s safe for your intended usage.