If you work in a warehouse or an industry related to warehousing you will know that there is an entire list of regulations which need to be followed to ensure that safety of staff. Having safety measures and standards in place show that a business is responsible and that they take responsibility for their staff members.
There are a number of important safety considerations which every business needs to know about when they deal with racking for warehouses. Today we will focus on key issues related to the safe use of pallet racking from alignment or accidental damage. Check out these important safety tips for working with pallet racking:
Damage to the pallet rack
Employees in the warehouse need to make sure that the pallet racking is regularly checked for any damage. Damage to the pallet racking can occur when there is a collision with a forklift or standard lift truck. When pallet racking is laid out managers and health and safety personnel need to make sure that there is sufficient floor space around and in all aisles of pallet racking. This will ensure that forklift drivers can easily move through the aisles without colliding with pallet racks. Pallet racking inspections should be done on a weekly basis. Any damage, even accidental damage needs to be reported as soon as possible.
Misalignment
When pallet racking is stacked there is a certain level of precision which is needed. If the pallet racking is stacked unevenly they could collapse and seriously injure or kill an employee.
Floor fittings
Pallet racking columns need to be securely anchored to the floor at all times. This can be done by using column base plates. The base plates should then be secured using anchor bolts. After any sort of accidental collision to a pallet rack, these floor fittings need to be re-checked and inspected.
Suitable forklift
All equipment which is used in your warehouse needs to be the right size to easily move between aisles. This equipment includes forklifts and jack lifts. If these pieces of equipment are too large there is a risk that employees will collide with your pallet racking.
Weight of goods
This is the most important safety consideration you can make every piece of pallet racking has its own capacity. To avoid letting employees overstack a pallet rack it is suggested that you print out notices warning staff members of the maximum weight which can be placed on each pallet rack.
The bottom line is that whether your pallet racks are overloaded, not stacked correctly or damaged they could pose a serious safety hazard for all those working around them. Warehouse manager and staff members should be trained to safely work around pallet racking to avoid serious injury or death. Safety audits should be done on a regular basis. During these audits, everything from evacuation plans to safety signage needs to be inspected.