How To Prevent Damage To Your Pallet Racking System
Your pallet racking system is one of the most crucial aspects of your warehouse operations. Its smooth running is imperative to a successful business, which is why it's so important that you ensure that no damage is caused to your pallet racking during daily activities. But how do you guarantee that damage won't be caused?
Let's break down what you (and your employees) need to do.
Adequate & Appropriate Training
Training applies to both staff safety and the use of your warehouse equipment. Without knowing safety protocols, your staff won't necessarily know what's right and what isn't. With heavy machinery and specialised equipment in a workplace, common sense isn't enough! Ensure your staff are trained in all aspects of safety applicable to your operations and business.
This extends to how your warehouse equipment is used. Forklifts are essential for pallet storage and access, but without professional training, accidents can happen. Damage to your pallet racking system is one thing, but putting your employees at risk is even more serious, so ensure the appropriate training is in place before committing to any further steps.
Experience is crucial when it comes to tasks like operating forklift trucks, and so ensuring drivers are correctly trained and experienced in working with the equipment used in your warehouse can significantly reduce the risk of potential accidents.
Rack Protection Systems
There are a number of pallet racking safety accessories and components that have been designed specifically to help protect your system from damage, maintain its integrity in the event of an accident and keep personnel safe from harm.
Something as simple as a column protector or rack guard will make all the difference in preventing damage from occurring. No matter what, accidents sometimes do - and will - happen, which is when prevention is better than cure. A rack guard will stop any minor bumps from becoming a bigger issue; likewise, a column protector will help your racking columns retain their structural integrity.
Safety barriers and protection posts are also vital to prevent collisions between forklifts and the rack itself. The ends of the rack can be vulnerable, and so having the correct protection in place means that serious accidents can be avoided, even if collisions do happen.
Other things to consider are the use of anti-collapse mesh or racking nets, particularly where higher tiered racking systems are involved. Not only offering protection to the rack itself from falling items, these also protect the goods from being damaged and most crucially protect staff from injury.
Visibility And Signage
Adequate signage is crucial. We don't just mean labelling goods areas, either: ensure you have markings in place floor-to-ceiling to direct everyone from forklift operators to visitors. This will reduce any confusion and therefore accidents and damage occurring.
Visibility pertains to ensuring that all spaces are well-lit, as not being able to see a particular section is bound to cause a hazard. Ensure every area in your warehouse is clearly lit and that all forklifts and other machinery have enough mirrors equipped to safely navigate the building.
Racking should be correctly labelled so that all staff can quickly identify where items can be placed, and the tolerances of the racks or shelving.
Most racking systems used in warehouses also use high visibility colours for the beams, such as bright yellow, orange or blue. This is in order to differentiate them from the pallets or items being stored, enabling employees to accurately use equipment such as forklifts and avoid collisions with the main structure of the system.
Adhere To Load Capacities
This should be common knowledge, but make sure that pallets are never overloaded with goods and that racks are not loaded beyond their stated capacity. Any stress or strain induced on your pallet racking system could compromise the stability of your entire warehouse, with the risks of rack tipping or damage to the structural integrity increasing when too much weight is placed on a system that doesn't have the capacity for it. Clearly label every aspect of your racking system to ensure any load-bearing confusion is avoided and damage likelihood reduced.
Be Aware Of Warehouse Clearances
Safety in your warehouse also relies on maintaining a tidy space. Keep aisles free from rubbish and debris; categorise your pallet sections and have a rule that your employees remove obstructions at any height upon sight. Any pallet stacks should be dealt with efficiently to reduce clutter further.
The Right Type of Racking
This goes hand-in-hand with load capacity. If you're a merchant for builders, then you should have a pallet racking system in place that handles heavyweight supplies with ease and with no risk. Similarly, if you are an e-commerce retailer then you should have a warehouse racking system designed to meet your needs.
However your business operates, it’s important to ensure that you have the right pallet racking system to meet your workflows and requirements. As well as helping you to be as productive and efficient as possible, this will ensure that your warehouse is able to operate safely, as the correct storage systems and safety considerations have been planned in right from the start.
Trying to use a racking system that does not meet the operational needs of your business can be unsafe, and can result in damage to the premises, loss of goods and worse, injury to personnel.
Why Are These Steps So Important?
- Safety
It goes without saying that having a safe pallet racking system is of paramount importance. Always check for damage after any possible incidents to ensure your system has been checked over and is structurally sound. It's key that you look after your employees first and foremost.
- Cost
Damage to your pallet racking system is a costly affair. Repairs will need to be made ASAP to ensure that operations can continue as normal, which means paying for as much as a system replacement whenever damage occurs. By following the aforementioned tips, you'll be able to reduce damage costs drastically, allowing you to invest money in other parts of your business.
- Productivity
Damage is disruptive: fact. Any incidents may need to be cordoned off while the due repairs are carried out, which could take days to complete. Access to warehouse aisles and all pallets is critical to keeping your profit margins buoyant, so when this is lost, it can seriously hinder your company's overall productivity.
Employer Responsibility
How you protect your pallet racking system is an important consideration of any warehouse operator as a minimum step towards preventing accidents and therefore damage from occurring in your warehouse.
Make sure your employees are aware of workplace hazards; ensure adequate training is undertaken by all employees and be conscious of any areas where accidents regularly occur. That corner may need something as simple as better lighting to avoid future racking system damage.
Ultimately, employers have a responsibility to ensure staff are safe within the workspace and that adequate and appropriate safety considerations have been taken. Some of the steps taken to helping to protect against damage to your pallet racking system can also help to keep staff safe from harm and are therefore vital.
Rack Inspections
As well as being proactive to avoid damage to your pallet racking system, it’s also advisable to have your rack regularly inspected. This process means that the pallet racking is checked for things such as:
- Integrity of the system and component parts
- Damage or wear to the system
- Security of fixings, supports and mounts
- Signage displayed correctly
It’s often the case that insurers as well as health and safety inspectors will require pallet rack inspections to be carried out every 12 months as a minimum. Having your pallet racking system regularly inspected provides an opportunity for any issues to be identified and addressed, preventing the risk of damage or injury that they may cause.
For More Information About Pallet Racking
Avanta UK have over 20 years experience in designing and delivering pallet racking systems to meet a wide range of businesses throughout the UK. From retailers and logistics providers to engineering companies and material handling specialists, we can help to create a workspace that is safe, efficient and designed around your individual business needs.
We also provide racking inspection services, and are able to offer advice about any aspect of warehouse storage. So whether you’re looking for an overhaul of your current space, or simply have a question about how to make your system safer or more efficient, get in touch with Avanta UK to speak to our expert team.