Inspecting your pallet racking at regular intervals is very crucial. As the pallet racking involves huge pallet racks to store materials, it becomes essential to check the quality of it from time to time to avoid any mishaps.
In the pallet racking inspection, the pallet racks are checked for broken or fractured planks or stringers, protruding nails, and missing support blocks.
Need for Pallet Racking Inspection
If you’re wondering why you should have inspections, know that Pallet Racking gives supreme material storage equipment, but when damaged or incorrectly handled can cause significant damage. So, there’s a definite need for pallet racking inspection:
To avoid loading and unloading problems.
To avoid falling loads from high positions and harming anyone.
Faulty or damaged pallets can cause obstruction problems.
Staging Pallets can cause severe fatal injuries and accidents.
Levels of Inspection
The inspection of Pallet racking follows a strict procedure containing 3 levels of inspection:
Level 1: Level 1 usually initiates with the employee playing a major role. If any safety problem or damage in the pallet racks is observed, the employee should immediately report it. The systems should be in place for reporting losses or any issues. For this, employees should be trained and given accurate information for the safe operation of pallet racking systems. Even minor accidents should be reported by the employee to avoid future harms.
Level 2: Level 2 includes the process of inspection to be conducted at regular intervals. It should be based on risk assessment. Proper inspection records should be maintained.
Level 3: An expert or technically component person should be hired to carry out regular pallet racking inspections. They might be trained specialists within an organization or qualified rack inspector.
Who performs Expert Pallet Racking Inspection?
Pallet racking inspection should be done regularly after a certain period for integrity and safety. If you own a warehouse, go down, or factory where pallet racking is installed, you should contact a qualified inspector for inspection. He should be familiar with RMI design and safety standards. They need to carry out inspections at intervals of not more than 12 months.
Things to look for while Visually Inspecting
Now, you might have a question about how you, as an employer or manager, can play your part in pallet racking inspection. Also, how will you know that there’s a need for inspection? Well, here is the answer. Besides a review by a professional, you can look out for these things regularly:
Check that bays do not exceed the SWL (Safe Working Load) signs.
Check if the racks have not been altered.
Check for splits or cracks in the racks and have them replaced.
Ensure that splices are per technical specification of manufacture.
Replace bent horizontal or diagonal braces.
Replace floor anchors if damaged.
Check for damaged beams.
Replace missing clips in the beams and if regular dislodge is there, contact the installer
Minor damage might not be visual, but you should get it inspected for future concerns.
Also, if any damage or near-miss occurrences happen, it has now become necessary for the employers to use safety signage towards the nature of risks and take steps to be protected against them. They should give exact and relevant information about safety signage.
The risks or hazards might not show the effects of pallet racking. Hence, employers are responsible for reporting any damage to the supervisor. This will be important for them while examining and taking appropriate steps.
Inspection of Pallet Racking is vitally important. All levels should be conducted accurately for the safety and integrity of workers and other people. The employees should be trained to deal and inspect on their own as well. This is definitely a hectic work but will prove to be worthy in later times.