Walk into almost any busy warehouse and pallet racking quickly becomes part of the background.
It is loaded and unloaded every day, forklifts and other handling equipment operate around it, stock levels change and businesses evolve. Yet, because racking is such a familiar part of the working environment, it can be easy to overlook the importance of checking its condition regularly.
A small knock from a forklift, a damaged upright or bracing member, a missing component or a change to the way a bay is being used might not immediately look significant. But pallet racking is a working structure carrying considerable loads, and looking after it should form part of good warehouse management.
Regular inspections matter
HSE guidance recommends that businesses have systems in place for reporting racking damage and defects as soon as they are noticed.
It also recommends regular visual inspections, with the frequency determined by risk assessment, and an expert inspection carried out by a technically competent person at intervals of no more than 12 months.
At Greenwell, our Sales Manager, Alan Western, looks after our pallet racking inspections and regularly visits warehouses and facilities across the North-east and further afield.
His inspection diary is often booked months ahead, which is encouraging to see. More businesses are recognising that looking after an existing racking installation is an ongoing responsibility rather than something that should only be considered when obvious damage occurs.
What does a racking inspection look for?
An inspection is about taking a methodical look at the condition of the installation and identifying anything requiring attention.
This can include damage to uprights, beams and bracing, missing or damaged components, signs of impact, the condition of beam locking devices, load notices and changes that may have been made to the original configuration.
Warehouses rarely stand still. Products change, pallet weights change, layouts are altered and storage requirements grow. Something that was designed for one purpose should not automatically be assumed to be suitable for another without appropriate consideration.
Where an inspection identifies an issue, the appropriate action will depend on the nature and severity of what has been found. Critically damaged racking should not simply remain in use while a repair is arranged; HSE guidance states that where damage is critical to safety, the racking should be unloaded as necessary and prevented from being used until remedial work has been completed.
Safety and sustainability can go together
There is another side to racking inspections that we believe deserves more attention: sustainability.
At Greenwell, we talk a lot about regeneration – looking at what already exists before automatically replacing it with something new.
A well-managed inspection programme can form part of that approach.
Knowing the condition of your existing racking allows you to identify issues, carry out appropriate remedial work where possible and make informed decisions about what genuinely needs to be replaced.
Replacing an entire installation should not automatically be the first answer simply because some components require attention.
Pallet racking represents a considerable investment in steel, manufacturing, transportation and installation. Looking after an existing system properly and maximising its safe, useful working life makes good commercial sense as well as supporting a more sustainable approach to business.
Don't wait until something looks wrong
Perhaps one of the biggest misconceptions about racking inspections is that they are only necessary when damage is obvious.
By that stage, the opportunity to identify a developing problem earlier may already have been missed.
Regular internal checks, good reporting procedures and periodic expert inspections work together. Warehouse staff are often best placed to notice when something has been struck or has changed, while a competent inspector provides a more detailed and objective assessment of the installation.
Written records are important too. They help businesses keep track of issues, actions and repairs rather than relying on somebody remembering that "there was a problem with that bay a few months ago".
For Alan, visiting so many different warehouses also reinforces one simple point: no two sites are exactly the same. The age of the installation, frequency of forklift movements, type of products being stored and day-to-day operating environment can all differ.
That is why racking safety is not simply a box-ticking exercise.
Look after what you already have
At Greenwell, we have supplied, installed, altered and inspected pallet racking for businesses for many years.
But sometimes the most valuable advice we can give a customer isn't that they need something new.
It is about helping them understand what they already have, keeping it in good order and identifying where action is actually required.
As businesses look more closely at sustainability, waste and the way they use their existing assets, there is a strong argument for applying the same thinking to the warehouse.
Look after what you already have. Repair and reuse where it is appropriate and safe to do so. Replace what genuinely needs replacing.
And perhaps most importantly, don't wait until your pallet racking looks damaged before thinking about its condition.
When did you last have yours inspected?