As a business owner, the last thing you want is an employee to have an, accident.

As you are aware there is a huge amount of hazards and risks in a warehouse, and it is up to you to ensure, all your staff are knowledgeable and trained accordingly.

But you have a responsibility to maintain the Health and Safety in the working environment.

Can you remember the last time you checked your pallet racking? And read the HSE Warehouse and storage guidelines?

Your warehouse manager and employees should be efficiently trained and aware of each pallet racking system, shelving systems and machinery. Regular Health and Safety checks mean that you will be continually checking for new damages that may appear. However, if you can’t remember when you and your team carried out an efficient safety check, then you are simply dicing with death and will just be waiting for a disaster to occur.

To avoid disaster here are some advice and tips to guarantee that you palette racking is safe, secure and sturdy:

1) Check for physical damage.

All racking and shelving systems are only as good as the reliability of the beams, braces, shelving and pallet racks. Constant use knocks etc. can cause damage and weakness to happen. It is vital that you examine all the racking and shelving regularly for any damage that may occur from forklifts, trucks or vans hitting the racking systems.

You will have witnessed occasions when a wayward forklift maybe bumped into the shelving, or a distracted driver of a truck or other mechanised vehicle has hit on of the racking or shelving unit too hard. It is paramount that you build into your weekly/monthly time management schedules Health and Safety checks. The checks should clarify that all the struts and supporting features are still capable of load bearing weight that they fit together snugly and in properly placed and secured.  If you identify, they are not safe then you are increasing the risk of a shelving unit crashing down or collapsing which inevitably could endanger someone’s life. The inspection should also include rust checks, especially if the warehouse is humid, or if you are storing liquids or chemicals and there is a chance of leaking as this could all damage the racking and shelving.

2) Training.

Regular updating and CPD training is crucial for Health and safety awareness. Ask yourself do your employees all know and understand how they have to assemble pallet racking or metal shelving units? If the answer is “No” you are not fulfilling your role and you NEED to get them trained. Safeguard the business against the possibility of claims and injury is paramount, so making sure everyone who works with large, load-bearing racks and metal shelving units need to understand the purpose of safely constructing them , what the exact maximum loads are and how to stack and unstack them correctly.

3) Watch for falling objects.

We are aware that some warehouses actually wrap the items stored on the pallets with plastic wrap. This is deemed as good practice because it actually reduces the risk of falling objects. Especially if a forklift hits the racking or shelving unit from the opposite side, which could inevitably cause items that are stored upon the racking or shelves, to fall down and could cause severe injury or death.

4) Does your shelving need to go on a diet?

Are you monitoring the safe weight load of items stored on your racking and shelving units? If you and your staff are trained correctly then every employee should be skilled enough to walk around the warehouse and immediately know the correct weight capacity of every racking system on each and every self. This should be being reviewed and checked as to the weight of stored goods on the pallet racks in contrasted with the capacity of the racking system. Remember “Knowledge is power” take the time to walk around and question and test your employees then you can first-hand whether they know, or do you need to provide training updates?

5) Are your racking/shelving units installed and aligned correctly?

Well-constructed, reliable and dependable shelving units are secured from the ground up. You may have acquired the premises with pre-constructed racking and shelving units, which means you will be unsure as to whether your warehouse units were installed by professionals, it could be the ground has shifted. You need to carryout thorough Health and Safety checks and risk assessments. Don’t try and cut corners by doing a “mix and match” of differing brands or styles of pallet rack. Make sure you identify that the weight bearing loads are equal for each unit when positioned side-by-side. Trying to cut costs in one sense could end up costing you far more in the long run.

6) Warehouse planning and design.

If you are lucky, and your business has expanded and your warehouse has grown, the products you supply may have changed, etc. don’t forget the simple things. You need to expand or arrange your industrial shelving and pallet racks in a safe manner and make sure they are operationally efficient. The design needs to be planned, so you are left with as much space as possible for a forklift vehicle to move safely around the warehouse. When planning your warehouse layout you need to ensure you are not interfering with the sprinkler systems, and fire exits, water lines, gas lines, lighting outlets, etc.

So ask yourself is your pallet racking system safe? For any advice or information, please speak to one of our sale’s team on 0161 627 3444 or 0161 627 4440.