The warehouse can be an inherently dangerous place due to the heavy machinery used and the racking systems. Any number of mishaps can occur while workers are on the clock, whether due to equipment failure, user error, or electrical issues. Knowing how to improve warehouse pallet rack safety can eliminate many hazards and significantly mitigate the damage of others.
Rack Spacers
Due to fire concerns, warehouses need to maintain a certain distance between rack systems to handle fire outbreaks properly. Without the installation of warehouse rack spacers, then the sprinkler system will have difficulty getting water throughout the shelves of a rack, resulting in the fire being able to spread out of control.
Have Alternatives Ready
Even with rack spacers, that should not be your only line of defense against fire outbreaks. Have clearly marked locations with fire extinguishers so that employees can do their part to protect everyone else. Make them readily accessible when the need arises and instruct workers to evacuate if the blaze becomes too much for them to handle.
Rack Weight Limits
While racks can have the ability to carry hundreds (sometimes even thousands) of pounds worth of weight, you should not test their limits. Placing too much weight onto a single shelf can compromise the structural integrity of the entire rack.
Know the Limits and Post Them
You should know the weight limit of every rack in your warehouse, but it is not enough that you know them. Your employees need to know what those limits are as well if they are to store inventory safely. Post up signs throughout your warehouse clearly stating the limits of each shelf, serving as a constant reminder to employees what they should and should not store on any given rack.
Rack Protection
Through the use of forklifts and electric pallet jacks, collisions can pose a significant safety danger to racks and a hazard to workers. In the event a vehicle collides with the support of a racking system, all workers in that general area need to move away because an impending collapse may result if there is enough damage.
Rack Support Protectors
By using rack protectors, they can absorb the damage that otherwise would have been sustained by the rack itself. Damage to protectors is far easier to fix than replacing the support of a rack, and the danger of collapse is not present when the protector takes the impact.
Immediate Action
You cannot know when danger will occur. It could happen before you have time to improve your warehouse pallet rack safety if you put off necessary upgrades for too long. You need to examine what you currently have, determine if it is adequate to ensure safety, and make improvements where required.
