What You Can Expect From A Pallet Rack Inspection
Identify & Reduce Risk To Prevent Loss
Pallet rack systems for material handling and storage applications are an essential part of manufacturing operations and distribution centers. Because your employees are always working around your racking system, and it is being used to store your valuable products, it is essential to have an annual racking inspection procedure to ensure the racking is maintained so it can be safely loaded.
At Cranston Material Handling Equipment, we offer a pallet rack inspection service where our trained professionals perform an inspection of your pallet rack to verify its structural integrity and safety features are correctly installed.
Call 412-424-0360 to discuss your inspection needs, or complete our pallet rack inspection form to schedule an inspection/request a quote.
As part of our complete pallet rack damage inspection, our racking inspectors will examine the condition of each pallet rack component, including the following items:
- Anchors – To ensure they are not loose or broken off
- Baseplates – To ensure they are correctly attached to the column
- Uprights, beams, and braces of each bay – Checking for bent, missing, or damaged components
- Safety Clips – To ensure they are in place and properly engaged
- Safety Bolts – To ensure the beams are locked in place, so they cannot be dislodged
- Safety Guards – To ensure they are undamaged and properly anchored
- Pallet Rack Wire Decking and Pallet Supports – To ensure they are not fatiguing
- Pallets, Skids, or Containers on the racks – To check for point loads or unsafe conditions, or incorrect loading
After our warehouse racking inspection, our racking inspectors will provide you with a detailed report of our findings. In this report, we will note which components are damaged and which pallets are incorrectly loaded. After the inspection, we can provide you with a recommendation for replacement or repair of the damaged component or an appropriate corrective measure.
Are Racking Inspections Legally Required?
No, racking inspections are not legally required. There are no national OSHA racking warehouse requirements. However, OSHA requires that employers provide a workplace that is free from safety hazards. After completing a rack inspection to review the loading of your pallet rack wire decking, uprights, anchors, beams and beam clips, capacity labeling and more, you will receive a report of the safety issues found. From this, repairs can be made, and you can provide a safe work environment for your employees and maintain a workplace free from hazards. Cranston offers a simple, one-page racking inspection checklist that will let employees and Environmental Health & Safety managers evaluate pallet rack safety between annual inspections.
Why do you need to perform rack inspections?
Performing Inspections Is Critical To Creating A Safe & Profitable Work Environment
When racking is not properly maintained, you risk injuring your employees, damaging costly materials, and increasing your business’s liability significantly. Structural deficiencies are often caused by normal wear and tear. If an accident occurs and it is found to be due to a structural deficiency, then your company could be held liable for neglecting to eliminate an unsafe condition. Periodic pallet rack inspections should be a top priority, as they allow you to become aware of unsafe conditions in your facility that you are then able to remedy. Periodic inspections of your storage system is the only way to address these issues and provide pallet racks that are safe for your employees to load and work around.
From missing safety clips to bent uprights, various types of damage can be caused as forklifts load pallets into the rack and navigate through the system. Damage can also occur due to improperly loaded pallets or changes in your material loads that are different now than when your racking system was laid out. Regardless of how the damage is caused, it can pose a major threat to your employees, resulting in an accident or a major event, such as a collapse of a rack.
Prevent Workplace Accidents
Inspectors Identify Unsafe Conditions That Can Be Proactively Resolved To Create A Safe Work Environment
Cost Savings
Identifying & Executing Repairs Can Save Cost From Reduced Capacity & Time Lost
Reduce Unexpected Downtime
Inspections Can Identify Needed Repairs Preventing Unexpected Workflow Interruptions
Extend Rack LIfe
Repairing Damaged Rack Can Increase The Lifespan Of Existing Racks By Preventing Further Damage
Meet OSHA REQUIREMENT
To Keep A Place of Employment Free From Recognized Hazards
When Should You Inspect Your Rack?
It is crucial to have your pallet rack system inspected regularly for damage to see if safety devices are present and properly engaged, and to look for pallets that are being incorrectly placed on the racks and causing point loads. These safety issues can easily go unnoticed by the untrained eye or may be viewed as minor and left unreported and unresolved. To ensure the integrity of your system and reduce the likelihood of an accident, the pallet rack should always be inspected by an experienced pallet rack professional.
Experts recommend inspecting your rack:
- Using a Third-Party Inspection Service
- As Part Of Company-Wide Safety Assessments
- On A Quarterly, Annual, Or Monthly Basis
- Ahead Of OSHA Certifications
Experience The Cranston Advantage
50 Years Of Material Handling Experience
We're proud to share all that we've learned about material handling safety over three generations.
Nationwide Service
Based out of Pittsburgh, PA - We happily serve clients nationwide.
Racking ExpertIsE
With experience in design & sales of pallet rack systems, our insights go beyond a checklist.
Timely
We're committed to completing inspections and producing actionable reports in a timely manner.
Customer Focused
We're committed to growing and building long-term customer relationships.
