Reduce racking risks
June 1st 2009

As the pace of operations in distribution centres and warehouses increases, safety becomes an even more pressing issue. Edward Hutchison, managing director of BITO Storage Systems, examines the measures that can be taken to ensure warehouse racking is kept safe

Increasingly onerous safety legislation means the consequences of unsafe workplaces will no longer be felt solely by the victims of accidents, because the managers responsible will now face serious penalties if they are found to be guilty of not providing a safe environment. Under The Health and Safety (Offences) Act 2008, which came into force last January any individual convicted of a health and safety offence is now eligible for a sentence of imprisonment within the range of available penalties. The powers of magistrates have been increased so that fines, previously limited to £5,000, are now increased to £20,000, and prison sentences can be for up to two years. Crown courts retain the power to impose unlimited fines and higher prison sentences.

Any senior employees with responsibility for managing the person who was injured in the workplace could be convicted if it can be shown that they agreed to actions that caused the incident or if they negligently failed to carry out a mandatory duty.

A key duty in a warehouse is ensuring that the racking is as safe as possible. It's certainly the biggest obstacle for fast moving lift trucks. If these vehicles are carelessly operated they can inflict damage that can cause significant risk. So in addition to providing quality lift truck driver training and monitoring, protecting a racking structure from damage – and, consequentially, potential collapse – is one of the most important safety measures to take. Catastrophic racking failure rarely happens from a single impact, it's more likely to occur as the result of cumulative impacts from careless lift truck operators – a risk that can be avoided with rack protection.

There is a plethora of racking protection products on the market but it is vital to check their quality because it can vary greatly. Although premium quality products may have a higher initial cost, they will provide greater resilience over a longer period of time, so should be considered a wise investment.

So, what are the protection devices that can be deployed to resist such impacts? Fencing provides protection for the front end of a row of racking. This is the part of the racking that is most likely to receive the hardest impact from a fast moving lift truck.

Fencing comprises a steel plank bolted to robust corner protection elements that are floor anchored at the front end of a racking row. A second steel plank can be added if necessary to fill the gap between the floor and the upper plank.

Column Guards prevent damage to uprights at ground level from trucks operating within the aisle. These can offer either two-sided or three-sided protection for uprights in corner areas and passageways. This particularly robust component is floor anchored directly in front of an upright to ensure any impact from a truck is not transferred to the racking structure itself. The higher the guard, the more protection it will offer.

Upright protectors, which come in 1000 mm lengths, carry on the protection further up the upright. The protector is bolted to the racking upright and can be mounted at any racking level. This protects against damage from forks lifting pallets in and out of the racking.

While all of these guards provide active protection, the quality of the racking itself will be important element in its safety; higher quality racking will be better at maintaining its structural integrity - an important point when selecting racking in what is a very price competitive market.

Quality racking frames should have a high corrosion resistance from a galvanised finish and have a solid anchoring into the warehouse floor. Bolted frame construction will allow easier exchange of damaged components.

For the beams, a boltless system provides quick adaptability. Solid safety hooks are used and secured by a 90 degree turn to prevent accidental lifting of the beam. This system not only provides a high load capacity but also excellent lengthwise rigidity for the racking system.

A further serious racking safety issue is preventing a pallet falling out of the racking from behind and down to the aisle below, particularly if it's a single row. Fixing anticollapse wire-mesh cladding to the rear of the rack can do this. This measure will also prevent goods on open pallets that have not been stretchwrapped, from falling out of the racking. Backstops are a further measure to prevent pallets from being pushed too far back in single sided racking rows and thus the risk of falling into the aisle. Backstops can also be used to maintain a distance between pallets stored in double-sided racking rows.

By selecting not only high quality racking but also high quality rack protection products, managers can provide assurance that this major structure is as safe as possible.

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