In a busy warehouse environment, pallet racking systems are much more susceptible to damage. There are more people operating within a crowded space, which can lead to forklift collisions, poorly loaded pallets and ultimately putting your staff and products at risk.
Today we take a look at five simple ways to reduce damage to your racking and improve overall warehouse safety.
1. Ensure you have the right forklift
Almost all damage to pallet racking is a result of collision by a fork truck, or from the pallet the truck is transporting.
There are many different types of forklifts, and the right one for your warehouse will depend on several variables, such as the types of products you have, your racking height and the width of your pallet racking aisles, etc.
Talk to your storage systems supplier to find out which forklift is suitable for operating safely within your storage area.
2. Install racking protection
Any damage to your racking will reduce its load carrying capacity – the greater the damage, the greater the reduction in its strength. A simple way to reduce the impact to your racking is to install pallet racking protectors. Replacing a corner guard or upright protector is much more economical than replacing a whole pallet racking bay.
Any damage incurred, however minor, should be reported immediately to ensure the necessary precautionary actions are taken.
Read more about pallet racking protection here.
3. Load pallets correctly
When loading or unloading pallet racking in a fast paced environment, it can lead to increased levels of impact damage. This can also result in unintended load caused by poorly packed pallets or by pallets that have not been evenly placed on the beams.
It’s important to maintain appropriate operating clearances when stacking pallets. The load should always be stacked centrally on the pallet, and then placed squarely on the rack to ensure weight is evenly distributed across the structure.
Avoid dragging or sliding pallets on or against the support beams or structure.
For more information on correctly loading/unloading pallets from your racking, contact your storage systems supplier.
4. Check your load signs are up-to-date
Your pallet racking is designed to carry a certain load and should be properly signed to indicate its load capacity. This will help your warehouse team know how to much weight each rack level can hold, as well as how that weight should be distributed across the beams.
Annual racking audits by an industrial storage specialist are required by Safe Work Australia to ensure your storage system remains safe for use and your load signs are up-to-date.
Contact your pallet racking supplier to ensure your racking has adequate load signs installed.
5. Keep aisles clear
Leaving products, pallets or rubbish sitting on an aisle floor becomes an obstacle for forklifts. Trying to navigate around an object in an already tight space makes the driver’s job much more difficult and the chance of an incident is increased.
Finding a suitable storage place for every item is important for keeping aisles clear and reducing hazards impacting pallet racking safety.
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