What we have we hold?
August 1st 2009

Signing a maintenance agreement is not always enough to meet your health and safety requirements. Peter Gibbs, of Freight Transport Association's (FTA) Warehouse Inspection Service, explains more

When racking structures fail the costs can be enormous. Not just in terms of the loss of the product itself, and subsequent damage to reputation, but also the far more immeasurable cost of endangering worker safety. This is why professional and impartial warehouse racking and lift truck inspections are so important. Not only will they ensure a company is compliant with workplace health and safety regulations, but, if conducted well, should reveal opportunities to assess how cost-effective and efficient a warehousing operation is – all the more relevant when companies are looking to reduce expenditure while mired in recession.

The question faced by many warehouse managers is: how can we be sure we are getting impartial advice and not simply inviting in unnecessary bills for repairs we don't need? The cost of paying for unnecessary repairs is, sadly, not an unfamiliar concept for many warehouse operators. FTA, the market leader in vehicle inspection, works with the Storage Equipment Safety Service (SESS), the market leader in racking inspections, to provide honest, useful advice. Neither organisation has a vested interest in reporting defects simply because neither organisation carries out repairs themselves.

So, if the racking is in good condition that will go down in the report. If it is in poor condition then the company will be told and it is up to them to inform their maintenance provider. Customers also enjoy the more obvious benefit of only having to employ two organisations to inspect all vehicles (i.e. lorries, trailers and forklifts) and racking, rather than three.

Inspections can provide regular opportunities to monitor the visual, operational and mechanical condition of lift trucks and associated equipment, without upsetting work patterns or affecting downtime. For example, one FTA customer receives inspections in the week that it is closed for essential maintenance. In any case, an inspector can visit and inspect racking and, say, a lift truck, in just half-aday, minimising disruption to the warehouse operation. A full and concise report is then prepared on-the-spot to enable any faults to be repaired as quickly as possible.

Simply signing a maintenance agreement with a lift truck supplier does not necessarily mean that warehouse managers are meeting their health and safety responsibilities. Regular checks increase reliability and the peace-of-mind that the equipment is safe and compliant so, rather than looking at it as a direct cost – a lift truck inspection can cost around £100 – it should be looked at as a way to monitor the external maintenance provider, which will pay dividends in the long-term and prove to be money well spent.

All FTA's inspectors are SARI accredited and the lift truck inspection service is Type- A UKAS accredited ensuring that the inspections are carried out to the highest standard. For further details of any of FTA's Warehouse Inspection Services, contact Peter Gibbs via FTA's Member Advice Centre on 08717 11 22 22, or email pgibbs@fta.co.uk.

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