The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) is the agency in charge of ensuring safety in workplaces and also sets regulations for all sorts of dangerous work. They often come into workplaces and inspect them for potential violations and health hazards, fining employers for any violations they find. Violations can be a true problem for anyone running a warehouse or storage area, as these are some of the most dangerous workplaces. Understanding the OSHA regulations for pallet rack installation is important so that you can avoid these fines.
Regulation 1910.176 (b)
This regulation states that all materials in storage mustn’t create hazards. This is a bit of a vague regulation as it doesn’t regulate how to properly store materials, simply stating that they mustn’t pose a threat. This makes it difficult to know how to properly store things without consulting an expert in the field. However, it does go on to state that materials stacked in tiers must be safely stored so they won’t slide or collapse.
Regulation 1910.159
The only other regulation that directly mentions racking is about the sprinkler system. It states that racking must be 18 inches between all sprinklers and any materials. This is to give enough room for the sprinklers to properly do their job in case of emergency.
General Hazards
Although there aren’t a lot of regulations that directly talk about racking, there’s a general hazards regulation that states that any obvious hazard is punishable. This means that if your racking isn’t up to the safety standards of the industry, you can lose a lot of money to fines. These violations include things such as unanchored or damaged racking and improper installation of racking. Preventing all the possible hazards that can get you fines isn’t easy, but you can do it with the help of professional warehouse racking installers who know the proper safety precautions.
Although there aren’t many OSHA regulations for pallet rack installation, it’s important that you take it seriously because the general safety hazard rule will cost you a lot of money. It’s important to know that you need to run frequent inspections to find any damaged racking and other safety hazards since they can pop up over time.
