Pallet rack inspections are so vital to warehouse storage and systems as they can highlight and identify the need for rack repair or replacement. The warehouse systems and processes from pick and pack through to dispatch and distribution will not matter in their efficiency if a pallet rack falls or collapses. The stock will more than likely be damaged and will need replacing and then there is the dispatch and distribution that will need to be re-assessed and re-organised. All of which could have been avoided if the racks and rack components had been inspected and any rack damaged dealt with.
Pallet racks obviously have a lot of use and carry substantial weight, especially load bearing columns. Damage can also occur with forklift trucks knocking into the columns aswell. Rack repair can sometimes be done without having to shut down the whole of the factory aisle or unloading pallets on each level, although it does depend on what repair is needed – this would be advised through a rack inspection. Any time taken to carry out the repairs would still be better than having a collapsed rack, resulting in damaged stock and potential injury to employees nearby.
It doesn’t always have to be the rack as a whole to cause damage, it can be one of the rack components that has not been fitted correctly, or has become loose that can make the entire rack unstable. Often an inspection will highlight these components before any damage is done to the pallet rack.
Following on from our previous post, you might be wondering if your business needs a rack inspection or when is the best time to think about one.
Well every business does need an inspection and ideally before any problems have occurred, rather than after a rack has collapsed as then it’s too late – the incident has already occurred and probably cost you considerable amounts in insurance and time lost resolving the racking issue.
So do you know when to book your rack inspection?
- Every business needs at an annual rack inspection and depending on the nature of your business and the operating equipment and storage solutions you may need more or less frequent inspections.
- If your warehouse or storage area is suddenly experiencing its maximum storage capacity. This might be due to a sudden promotion on products and looks set to continue for the immediate future or even if it due to a seasonal trend, which the company has allowed for and expecting – you need to get your racking checked when the warehouse is at its maximum as this will give an idea of how health and safety is employed when the company is busy and also any potential problems which might be overlooked as employees are too busy. This can include overloading the racking or the weight distribution of items of the wrong shelf (to save space) which can have devastating consequences.
- If there is damage to a beam or the racking – however small. It is worth checking as the small cracks can develop or create problems when weight is placed on the racking. Get the small problems sorted quickly with a rack inspection.
- If you have recently installed new racking – it’s best to get this inspected within 3 months to make sure you are complying with the Health and Safety Guidelines and SEMA.
If you are not sure if your pallet racks need inspection it is better to check rather than leave it.
Every business needs to protect their employees and make sure the working environment is safe to work in and some working environments are more susceptible to accidents and potential hazards than others. For example, an office environment has different risks and hazards to employees than factories and warehouses. Whatever the industry though, all businesses must adhere to, and follow, up-to-date Health and Safety Guidelines set out in the Health & Safety at Work Act 1975 section 2.
Factories and warehousing companies, or any business that uses pallet racking must carry out a rack inspection as part of the health and safety procedures. Pallet racking is essential for a warehouse to operate efficiently but it still a requirement for regular pallet rack inspections to make sure they are safe and secure.
There are several benefits for businesses to encourage rack inspections and we’ve listed a few of these below:
Pallet racking is classed as ‘Work Equipment’ and therefore requires documented inspections and maintenance and the benefits will ensure your employees are in safe environment and the pallet racking is still secure.
The company insurance premiums and maintenance costs can be reduced as regular checks will highlight any problems with the racking but will also make sure it running efficiently and any maintenance is carried out promptly rather than a potential problem going un-noticed and costing more to fix in the long run.
Employees will know they are working in a safe and secure environment – which is important as employees will also look out for potential hazards and be more aware of potential risks and make sure they are adequately trained and equipped to perform a certain task.
The potential for accidents and mishaps are present in any working environment. However, if you are in a warehouse or storage area the potential for serious accidents like a rack collapse are higher and result in more damaging consequences that can have employees injured and out of work or worse. Therefore rack inspections are an important and critical element to any business to highlight and then reduce the risks.
All industrial based warehouse companies have a form of storage which enables employees to pick and pack an order easier, but more importantly to the company, quicker and therefore more efficiently. Imagine a retail outlet has several thousand orders a day and therefore the need for efficient storage is paramount. These orders need to be picked, processed and dispatched in record time. This is why warehouses invest in pallet racking and storage facilities to cope with the rush of orders.
Often in a peak processing time employees might be more concerned with getting orders out rather than concentrating on their safety in the workplace. This is why companies have to ensure the racking safety processes are adhered to with racking inspections. The way the warehouse operates and the volume of processing is taken into account when planning out a warehouse as well as many other factors.
Rack inspections are critical, but also highlight if any racking safety issues need to be amended or if any pallets or racks need any rack repair.
There are so many different types of pallet racks from drive-in racks, which allow a forklift truck to drive directly into the stacked rows through to push-back pallet racks that focus on depth and space is organised by depth rather than width. However, whichever pallet rack system is in use, the basic principle should always apply and racking safety is adhered to and followed.
When a company moves into premises they will have a business plan and business growth plan in mind but sometimes businesses need to expand, adjust, relocate, merge or alter their original plan according to profit and loss and also the economy.
The next step in this planning can be staff numbers and more importantly staff seating areas and desks required and this is when a company might start looking at dividing space using an office partition. Even the most in-depth business plan cannot always see the increase in staff that might be needed and how this can change the layout of the office.
If the company has built up quickly but has a vast amount of empty room, it can be used effectively with an office partition that can divide space without having to create a solid, permanent feature like an office wall. There are many types of partitions that can be used in an office environment, so check back to this blog for more information on these.
One solution to an increase in staff can be to move desks around but this can also cause complications with moving electrical plugs and making sure there is still enough floor space in-between desks. There may also be the need for an office partition due to different departments being formed. For example, HR departments need privacy and discuss confidential issues and may need to be separate from the business, but still visible – which a clear partition can provide.
The sales team and customer service team, who are always on the phones – may need to be partitioned away from the accounts department who might need quiet to concentrate and does not need the distraction of the phones ringing and office conversations.
Then there’s the management team or director. They may need to handle confidential issues but be close to the business to see employees and an office partition can work really well here – providing the element of ‘not being there’ but can still manage the business and employees without being separated from the company.
As a business experiences commercial growth, no matter what sector they are in, they will often require more space to support this growth and there are several options available from acquiring additional premises to expanding the existing floor space, both of which are expensive and sometimes not physically possible. This is where mezzanine flooring is a great alternative that does generate space.
The word mezzanine comes from the Italian word ‘mezzano’, which means middle – so a mezzanine floor is the ‘middle floor’. This type of flooring often projects from the same walls as the floor below, but does not cover the ceiling, so basically shares the ceiling with the floor below and acts more like a semi-permanent floor system that can be dismantled and relocated in required.
As production and warehousing businesses experience growth they will need to expand to accommodate more stock and the installation of mezzanine flooring is critical and can be the most cost effective way to grow as the warehouse stock will still be in one space, under one roof. There is the option to acquire another building but this can lead to complications when it comes to stock management and stock can easily get lost quicker between two buildings than one building with two floors. Mezzanine flooring is commonly used in industrial operations such as warehousing, distribution and manufacturing for this reason to allow for extra storage capabilities.
Retail stores can often benefit from a mezzanine flooring as they often have high ceilings which can be utilised to create extra space. This can be in the form of storage or even office space above the store. It can make good business sense for the retail store to have the ‘behind the scenes’ office administration and customer services in the same place.
The other sector that can benefit from mezzanine flooring are companies or corporations that are looking to expand into other sectors and therefore need space, or simply growing and need more space to place desks and office equipment safely so they do not breach health and safety regulations.
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