A new year always means the welcoming of legal changes, and this could apply to inspection legislation this year. Since the Health and Safety at Work Act came into place in 1974, legislation inspection has gone through many changes and updates, so it’s important to be prepared for what may happen in 2018.
What is Racking Inspection Legislation?
Though defining Racking Inspection Legislation may be difficult, the best guide on how businesses should inspect their racking systems through the UK comes from HSEs HSG76. The second edition of this was published over ten years ago, back in 2007, and has received no changes or updates since.
However, this isn’t the actual legislation, but it is merely a guide on good practice on HSE. Though it hasn’t changed since its second edition, it has been so long since publication that it’s important to remain aware that it has the potential to change any time soon.
Examples of legislation
There are no laws that have been written to refer to racking inspections, but there are some laws in place that affect it. By looking at it this way, there have been many legislations introduced and changed over the years.
One example would be the Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998, also referred to as PUWER 98. Back in January this year, a Northampton based business was fined £330,000 for breaching the fifth regulation of PUWER. Not only this, but they pleaded guilty and had to pay over £11,000 in damages. This regulation emphasises on the employers responsibility to ensure that work equipment is inspected right after installation and again at regular intervals.
Could legislation change this year?
It is entirely possible, but it is also possible for the law to change and for HSE HS76 to remain the same. After all, this is exactly what happened back in 2015 when CDM regulations were updated. After being put in place three years ago, these regulations completely changed the responsibility of racking inspections.
Past CDM Regulations put emphasis on the important of employee competence when working in a construction environment. The issue lay with ill defined regulations with competence, and was changed in 2015 with the new CDM regulations. These regulations expanded the legal definition of construction in great detail, and to include warehouses, television studios and more.
It is also now the legal responsibility of employers to ensure competence in their employees and for the employees to in turn provide a convincing argument for the competence of their employers. This change in responsibility ended up freeing up time and money for HSE. Though the guide itself may not have changed, these changes in law has led to many leaning on the HSE’s advance in this guide.
It is important that your racking falls in line with these regulations, so we always recommend talking to an expert about what racking solutions you may need for your warehouse. Monarch are here to provide you with professional advice, as well as helping you to find a racking solution that works for you. Take a look at our range of brand new and second hand pallet racks and other equipment, or contact us for more information.
