Damage limitation
October 1st 2004

Phil Culling, managing director of Redirack looks at how to inspect racking and the products available to prevent and rectify any damage that does occur

No matter how well your storage system is designed and your drivers trained, collisions between forklift trucks, their loads and racking is inevitable and will need rectifying, as any damage to racking will reduce its loading capacity.

Anticipating that even the most careful driver working in a properly configured system will eventually have an incident means taking protective measures to reduce costs and operational interruptions, and having a proper inspection and repair routine.

Assessing damage

The Storage Equipment Manufacturers Association (SEMA) method of measuring damage enables you to assess the seriousness of any damage. For example beams are particularly susceptible to damage – they naturally deflect under normal loading, but the deflection should disappear when the beams are unloaded. If however beams show signs of cracks in the welds between the end connector and beam section, SEMA recommends that they should be replaced. End connectors showing deformation should be unloaded and the supplier’s expert opinion sought.

For damage to uprights, SEMA recommends replacing an upright with a tear, spilt or buckle with a new one. An upright with a bend in the direction of the rack beam should be measured using a straight edge, one metre long. Placed against the concave edge, the gap between the edge and the rack should not exceed 5mm. For an upright with a bend in the plane of the frame bracing, the gap between the upright and the straight edge should be below 3mm.

However, it is the end frames that are most vulnerable to damage, especially to forklift truck impact. SEMA recommends incorporating a first line of defence such as renewable column guards or guide rails, which prevent the truck from getting too close to the main racking structure.

Redirack, Europe’s leading manufacturer of pallet racking and storage solutions takes this very seriously, priding itself on complying with all codes of practice and health and safety regulations. It offers a number of solutions that meet these requirements, such as rack end barriers and column protectors, specifically installed to protect end frames.

A simple yet strong and effective barrier made from 100mm x100mm 4mm thick rolled hollow section (RHS), a square end barrier is only 600mm high and features two horizontal rails, one at floor level. The floor rail guards the end frame against protruding forks and pallets, whilst the top rail is purposely low to avoid providing too much of a lever when hit. This reduces the likelihood of them getting torn out of the floor in cases of heavy impact. It is recommended to paint the complete structure in a conspicuous orange or yellow.

Round end barriers are fabricated from 89mm diameter tubular section and have been specifically designed to offer an elegant yet robust alternative in applications where appearance is important. Column protectors are designed specially to guard the end frame upright.

Made from 5mm steel, 380mm high, a number of designs are available to cater for the various combinations of upright and bottom beam configurations.

With damage to uprights, in 90% of cases the damage is restricted to the first 1000mm, so it seems logical to replace only the damaged area. Redirack developed the innovative Sacrificial Leg – a highly effective solution for repairing damaged frames with the minimum amount of disruption and cost. Frames are supplied with a splice built into the front leg and the bottom diagonal reversed. Any impact the frame suffers is absorbed by the speciallydesigned leg, leaving the rest of the frame undamaged.

Ease of repair

Independently tested by the Department of Civil and Structural Engineering at Sheffield University, the removable leg can be replaced in as little as fifteen minutes.

The ease of repair encourages operators to deal with damage as and when it occurs, and as the Sacrificial Leg meets all the requirements of the SEMA code, it helps create a safer working environment.

To replace a Sacrificial Leg, you use the Redirack Sacrificial Leg Jack. This enables you to change the damaged leg easily and safely. The jack is available with a variety of head assemblies to suit the different styles and widths of uprights.

Rack protection, inspection and maintenance of one type or another is strongly recommended and will reduce your costs in the long run. It is important to have an annual rack inspection carried out by an expert to prevent damage from regularly occurring. You should also motivate your forklift truck drivers to report damage and, when damage does occur, follow SEMA’s suggested methods to repair damage safely and effectively, to ensure you get the most out of your racking system.