Racking Inspection Checklist
Contents
Here at Nene, our team of SEMA Approved Racking Inspectors use the latest legislation to make sure our clients’ pallet racking is safe, secure and has a full audit trail. Pallet racking is categorised as ‘work equipment’, subject to being compliant at all times under the current workplace Health and Safety legislation. Our trained team follow a checklist process to ensure our clients have a safe working environment and this article covers our customers’ frequently asked questions.
The Risk Assessment
By working alongside a PRRS (Person Responsible for Racking Safety), our trained inspectors review the following:
- Rack safe working loads
- Damaged racking identification
- Racking identification and categorisation (location, component reference, warehouse area)
- Best practice warehouse layouts and racking observations
Racking damage is not always obvious. HSE recommends SEMA Approved Racking Inspectors (SARIs) to carry out the racking inspections. This inspection is followed by an easy to understand report detailing the current health of your complete racking system. It’s a traffic light risk assessment highlighting current issues with timeframes to get those issues resolved. The levels of risk are:
RED – There is critical damage and immediate action is required.
AMBER – There is some risk and action should be taken as soon as possible.
GREEN – No damage or risk, no action is required but to monitor.
What Is Inspected?
Racking inspections need to be carried out on an annual basis to SEMA guidelines. If you have a large site, more frequent inspections are likely to be recommended and conducted.
Failure to regularly inspect and properly maintain your racking can result in fines for non-compliance, injuries in the workplace, potential logistic downtime and more expensive repairs. In some cases, replacement racking can be avoided if the site is visually inspected on a regular basis.
An inspector would pay particular attention to the following:
Upright Post
Upright posts have holes where load beams can be mounted.
Base Plate
Steel base plates have holes that anchor the upright post to the ground.
Frame Bracing
Frame bracing is used to attach the upright posts together to improve racking stability.
Beams
Load beams are used to hold any load support components, such as mesh decks.
Beam Safety Locks
Safety locks are used to lock in and secure the beams to the upright posts.
Fixings
Ensuring the right fixings and correct quantities are paramount to the overall construction.
What’s Included In An Inspection Checklist?
With any racking damage that has been highlighted as a potential risk, the inspector will review the following:
- Is the racking loose?
- Is the racking dented?
- Is the racking twisted?
- Is a component missing?
- Is a component rusting?
If you do see any of these potential issues, offload the racking immediately and contact us for more information.
A checklist is great, but digital auditing software is the future.
An inspection checklist can be used for frequent inspections by your PRRS. However, we recommend a racking auditing system to log your sites information. Nene are able to offer an innovative, first-to-market solution for racking inspections.
If you’d like to find out how were changing racking inspections, please contact us on 01327 300456.