Many warehouse managers easily become complacent and trusting of their pallet racks. Because they are used constantly and so far seem fine, why bother worrying?
The truth is, there are serious safety material handling risks that you need to be aware of. The more you use the pallets, the more risk there is. In order to properly manage your warehouse, you need to know these common pallet rack safety issues.
Damage To Racks
One of the most common risks to safety in pallet racks is physical damage. This can take many forms, such as wear from usage over the years or someone bumping into a pallet with machinery. Damage to your investment can be prevented. Products like pallet rack post protectors are designed to prevent outrigger fork truck damage by protecting the bottom portion of the upright frame or post, where forklift damage is most likely to occur. Also, a good general rule is to have continuous pallet rack maintenance and repair.
Misaligned Racks
This is another common risk that could potentially harm employees. When your system does not sit flush with other racking, it creates a dangerous working environment. As such, you should run frequent pallet racking safety inspections or hire a service to do it for you.
Incorrect Spacing
A common problem with a lot of racks is not having the correct amount of space for workers to navigate. This can lead to problems for the workers and the racking system, as it will be easy to bump into it with machinery. It can also affect the efficiency of workers, as they take more time to move around the area. This is why pallet rack system design and layout is essential to having a properly flowing warehouse.
Overloading Racking
One thing you need to be cautious about is overloading a rack with too much weight. It can be tempting to fill a rack with as much as possible. However, this can damage the rack and lead to serious injury or property damage. Because of this, it’s important to pick the right racking and racking systems.
Lack of Training
Lastly, it is important that you and your workers go through training to teach everyone how to be safe around racking. This training is an investment to reduce the risk of injury and damage around racking systems.
Safety Inspections for Material Handling
These are the most common pallet rack safety issues. Frequent pallet rack safety inspections will also reduce the risk of damage and safety concerns. Hammerhead Material Handling offers pallet racking safety inspections and safety audits for reviewing warehouse racking systems. The specialized warehouse rack inspection services are designed to increase safety and reduce damage in your facilities by regularly and thoroughly monitoring your facility’s pallet rack systems. Don’t compromise the safety of your facility. If you are looking for more information about warehouse rack inspections, schedule a free consultation.
