Whatever your available space is, there are many solutions available when it comes to determining your storage fulfilment. Some solutions work best for you, but you will need to consider various factors to get the very best from them.
Your first consideration is understanding the difference between shelving and racking. Commercial shelving is generally for lighter items that can be stacked and stored individually or in boxes. Pallet racking is more utilised for heavy-duty storage as they take the weight and size of palletized goods into consideration.
Commercial shelving typically is accessed by hand, with warehouse staff putting goods for storage onto the shelving themselves from floor level or by steps. Being hand loaded, they don’t assemble up to the ceiling of the warehouse or out of general reach.
pallet racking systems are loaded via the use of forklifts due to the typical heavy nature of goods housed on them. This results in the system being more sturdy by design and constructed by the use of heavy-duty steel. The height of these systems is limited by the safe reach of the forklift, but able to hold much more stock as a result.
When choosing the right solution for your warehouse storage equipment, there are things you need to consider.
The first is the maximum height that you want to stack. This not only affects your choice but also what you load upon it. The height determines the reach of who or what is stacked on the shelving or racking, as if it is done by hand you are limited by the amount of overhead height or steps. If you use a forklift, then the ceiling is the limit.
The average height for pallet racking is around 8m, but that does not mean it is a limit to how high you can stack. That determination comes down to your ceiling height after all, and it would be unusual for a warehouse to not utilise that upward space as much as possible.
If you are stacking a wide range of items, the smaller and lighter ones would require the top space whilst heavier items occupy the bottom levels. This not only aids in the stacking of goods, but it also keeps the centre of gravity well positioned for your chosen system.
To be able to access how the goods are going to be used and the best shelving solution for your warehouse storage equipment – as well as the ability to design the perfect system – contact the team at Monarch Shelving today.
If you know that your warehouse safety is nowhere near the levels it should be and you are choosing to ignore them, you may soon be facing serious and potentially fatal repercussions. Every business and workplace is different and some risks are more hazardous than others, but any warehouse demands a certain level of awareness, training and risk assessment to ensure everybody who occupies that space’s safe. With a huge amount of warehouse hazards to consider, any business that ignores them in ill-advised ways to save money could soon be faced with catastrophic consequences from not tackling them head-on.
People injure themselves in the workplace in the hundreds and thousands every year in the UK, with trips and slips being the most common cause in the warehousing sector.
When it is not tripping or slipping, the risk of something falling from pallet racking and permanently injuring someone is all too real. Falls from height are often deadly, and usually the result of improper stacking, faulty racking or overloading stock.
It could be the result of your older warehouse storage equipment holding stock that was not designed to hold or unreported damage from forklift collision or no regular safety racking check-ups. Either way, it is a shortcut to the disaster that not only hurts your staff but can completely hold up operations of your business – as well as result in hefty fines and compensation.
SEMA-approved inspectors ensure that your warehouse complies with all health and safety requirements by carrying out thorough pallet racking inspections that point out all current or potential risks and advise on the immediate course of action to fix the problem before it happens.
The warehousing sector is the most vulnerable industry for risks and potential accidents, which is why everything should be done to ensure all hazards are taken care of.
One way to avoid any legal proceedings for negligence is to evaluate your racking and storage needs, potentially with a new system or by shifting some stock to commercial shelving units. Not only will this require a shift around in operations, but also more focus on safety training for employees.
By taking this action, you are also sending the right message to your employees that you are investing in their safety within the workplace. Ignoring concerns that staff members have around improper storage and racking damage sends an incredibly negative message that will result in complaints going above your head in regard to safe working conditions.
To avoid warehouse hazards, contact the team at Monarch Shelving today to discuss your current racking requirements and other aspects of warehouse storage equipment.
How does a warehouse benefit turn into warehouse safety hazards? In the form of pallet racking, it can be costly to both your business image and your employee wellbeing when your racking suffers an accident that compromises the integrity of the system.
If not maintained and inspected regularly, your warehouse storage equipment can quickly become a common warehouse hazard. Here are some causes to look out for.
Every warehouse has an instance where inadequately trained employees have used or maintained warehouse pallet racking and it turned out for the worse. These are more likely to cause accidents than any other.
All employees who work around a system of this kind need to understand how to operate around it, understand the dangers of working under them and, more importantly, how to report any incident which can compromise the entire system.
All employees need to be fully trained in safety precautions around the pallet racking to reduce the risks of both harm and damage.
If your pallet racking is not regularly inspected, serious or light damage that can lead to a full racking collapse is being ignored – that poses the biggest possible risk to workers and company operations overall.
Signs of wear and tear and where repairs would require immediate action being taken going unnoticed leaves a bad impression on your company’s health and safety measures. If your racking is not safe, your business is not safe.
Be sure to have the racking inspected monthly and repair where needs repairing to avoid catastrophe.
Everyone should know how important it is to have a safe and reliable storage solution in place, but the weight they hold has a nasty habit of becoming overloaded by not double-checking the inventory and overstocking.
This can mean shifting certain products to an area with commercial shelving – or simply downsizing your stock intake on certain items not shifting as fast as others. Having control over your stock amounts and ensuring you do not have an excessive amount of stock provide struggle for your system, you make the difference between a full collapse and a longer lifespan for your system.
Moving parts on pallet racking systems can wear out and make the likelihood of a collapse more apparent.
Rust can occur when exposed to elements or chemicals regularly, and these are instances that need to be reported as soon as noticed. Sometimes they can be rusted beyond repair, and the entire system will require replacing.
In those instances of warehouse safety hazards, contact the team at Monarch Shelving so that a full appraisal of your current and future needs can be fully planned.
Ensuring that your warehouse is fully optimised, safe, and compliant through racking protection solutions is the secret to flourishing within a safe working environment. The daily operations of a high-functioning facility still present numerous risks to your operations and workforce.
One of the biggest known hazards is posed by collisions caused by poor and improper use of handling equipment like loaders, forklifts and picking trucks. Damaged or weakened components and quarantined aisles seriously affect your day-to-day operations and lose your company money by associated downtime.
In more extreme cases, cumulative damage and heavy impact can result in full pallet racking collapse. Mitigating these risks with racking protection is the most logical and responsible solution for your business.
Despite the multiple benefits to your business, it often gets overlooked – despite HSE guidelines recommending that racking protection be installed. A lack of legislation allows many businesses to sacrifice the costs in favour of additional space – or view it as an unnecessary cost altogether.
Considering the price of steel and components nowadays, it would make much more sense to protect it as much as possible. Racking maintenance can quickly become an all-consuming cost to a business if components are left exposed, and in later stages can become unsalvagable and will require replacement with an entirely new and costly system.
The most effective way of protecting your pallet racking system can come in a few different forms, although it is advised that you consult with your installer on which one is best for your specific setup.
Column guards are the most common protection against forklifts and pallet truck collisions and the best product to start with. End-of-aisle barriers provide essential protection for pallet racking also, as the ends of aisles are more exposed to potential collisions from turning too fast or misjudgment of allocated space.
If the ends are unprotected, some of the most vital components to your industrial storage racks are open to significant impact.
Also of importance to combat, the amount of damage is to have clear signage and markings to indicate how distanced equipment should be from the racking system. These markings and signs should be a part of your health and safety training for new and existing employees to know the safe boundaries and risks stemming from collision or overloading.
Consulting with a racking installer on how to best protect your investment into warehouse storage equipment, as well as finely assembling a process of reporting and inspecting your pallet racking regularly, helps to keep your system safe and secure and able to store stock for a long lifespan.
Contact the team at Monarch Shelving today for all commercial shelving, racking protection solutions, and pallet racking enquiries.
Warehouse operations have a lot of coordination and logistics involved every single day to keep a smooth-running business. Many areas are critical within that to make sure warehouse management systems are on top form, including one of the most pivotal areas – your pallet racking system.
From regularly inspecting it for damage to taking precautionary steps to ensure accidental damage does not occur – your racking cannot be overlooked in the process.
You need the best for your warehouse to operate as the best. Safety standards suggest that rack inspections be done every month by knowledgeable workers and a yearly checkup by an expert company be scheduled with no exceptions.
Consequences from rack failure can mean damage to equipment and inventory – or even worker death. It is that serious a consequence. An inspector watches for damage and clearances that can cause a multitude of hazards from fire to overloading on capacity. This ensures that everything is following safety and that your system is not compromised.
This includes ensuring that the type of system you have is still suitable for your warehousing requirements.
When looking at safety and efficiency in accessing the racks, not having clear aisle space leads to bedlam. Floors being marked with coloured tape do their job in keeping your walkways clear and having enough storage so that pallets are not occupying floor space and workers are not having to take risks in manoeuvring around them.
Having clear aisles helps production in a busy warehouse by marking specific directions to take and speeding up turnaround by eliminating confusion. This is equally important to forklift operation and the unloading of pallets.
Stacking high storage levels is a common practice in a warehouse. However, the higher you stack the more risk of falling objects onto employees below them.
Workers in a warehouse need to take notice of safety hazards as much as racking needs extra security to prevent falling objects. Depending on the goods that are stocked within the warehouse, specifics can be put together by a professional in a more bespoke design to reinforce safety.
Additional safety training can also ensure that everyone working around this system knows how hazardous it can be and follow all guidelines for reporting damage and not compromising the system.
Contact the team at Monarch Shelving today for pallet racking, warehouse management systems, and warehouse storage equipment that are safe, secure and fit for your purpose.
The most common cause of damage to pallet racking is down to daily work activities including the impact from mechanical handling equipment and forklifts, uneven loading and wear and tear on components.
Given this, it makes common sense to ensure your industrial storage racks are given regular inspections to ensure compliance with all safety regulations and maintain a safer work environment. Putting an inspection process in place helps prevent poor working practices that can affect your working operations and reputation.
pallet racking Threat
Pallets can only fall one way and that is downwards, but the bumps, crashes and collisions that happen in a busy work environment come from all sides and heavily contribute to the weakening of your structural integrity.
For pallet racking, lack of care results in serious consequences such as full system collapse, injury and even death. On top of all of that, your inventory is destroyed and your operations ground to a halt as repairs are conducted – as well as an investigation.
The smallest piece of damage can lead to a hugely expensive loss. A damaged upright can be repaired or replaced at minimal cost compared to an entire system that caves in. the impact from a forklift can seriously compromise the integrity of a supporting upright even with what seems to be superficial damage.
Pallet racking is designed to house a serious amount of weight and store huge volumes of that weight way up high towards the ceiling of the building. These systems rely on the structural strength of all supporting components, from rack frames to locking pins. This is why many insurance companies require a racking inspection to validate insurance for your company.
Regulations
Racking falls under the definition of work equipment and is subject to the UK’s Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998, requiring employers to routinely inspect all work equipment under that umbrella that has the potential to deteriorate or suffer any damage. Pallet racking systems fall heavily under this specific criteria.
Therefore, all pallet racking inspections should see that any damage or defects are reported immediately, visual inspection of the entire system is conducted regularly and expert inspections are conducted by competent personnel.
In-House Personnel
An internal member of staff should be appointed to inspect the pallet racking and carry out spot checks between scheduled professional inspections, and a process to document these needs to be put in place and all records of them accurately retained on the premises.
Contact the team at Monarch Shelving for all your pallet racking, commercial shelving and warehouse storage equipment needs.
When it comes to business survival, the safety and secure working operations of your warehouse are the height of consideration. Whilst many avenues come down to common sense and proper training around equipment, there are many effective warehouse safety considerations to further reduce risks to employees and create a safer work environment.
Proper safety procedures are always going to be paramount to your business, eliminating unforeseen risks, accidents and circumstances that can grind your company to an abrupt stop.
You factor in the scale of your workforce, machinery utilised, use of pallet racking systems and warehouse storage equipment for heavy items and they all can result in some form of the serious incident if overlooked. Accidents can be unavoidable, sure, but there are still steps that can be taken to avoid health and safety breaches and be in line with ethical codes to make sure you run a safe and secure work environment.
Clear Operations
Machinery, crates and industrial storage racks will always be present in a busy warehouse, and navigating those bulky items and structures can be difficult most of the time – especially when there is no clear line of sight.
This can be resolved with a clear plan for movement in and around the warehouse setting. Much like a road or car park set up. Creating a mobility structure which indicates which directions should be moved around in certain areas reduces the risk of collisions and ensures all workers are going in the same directions. Signs indicating this direction should also be implemented.
Racking Inspection
Pallet racking can take up every inch of available space in a warehouse environment for workers to adequately find the product they are looking for.
If pallet racking is unstable or damaged on occasion, it has the potential to cause serious injury or worse. It is strongly advised that your pallet racking system be regularly inspected and any incident – no matter how small – be reported as soon as it happens. On top of this, it should be inspected by a certified inspector at least once every year to make sure it is secure and worthy of use.
This helps to avoid preventable problems such as wear and tear and poor condition of connecting parts that can lead to full system collapse, falls and major health risks to your workforce.
With supported adequate training for the safety of your workforce and minimising the amount of clutter in and around your warehouse, you further distance yourself away from highly dangerous working conditions.
Contact the team at Monarch Shelving today for all pallet racking and commercial shelving requirements.
Whenever the summer rolls around, warehouses can see a major increase in stock to make sure everything people could want is in good supply. However, one thing that may get pushed to the back of the thinking model is that high temperatures in the summer can lead to a variety of serious problems within a warehouse setting.
Soaring high temperatures and humidity levels can destroy stored goods such as foods and medicines. Crammed stock levels can cause harm to employees and air conditioning levels will be in high demand – meaning so will electricity costs for running the warehouse.
It is therefore important to think ahead and ensure that you have space for enough air to circulate and not build up heat levels due to overstock in the building.
Existing overstocks of stored goods should look at a reduction during the summer months. Evaluating what is in demand and reducing the levels of certain foods that need to be refrigerated to stop from melting is a good start.
Many warehouses that store such inventory as chocolates and refrigerated goods will need a reduction, whereas many warehouses that store drinks will need an increase. The summer trends see a lot of dips in demand for certain things and others see a dramatic rise. Consulting with the retail end to evaluate which products require pallet racking, which ones need refrigerated areas and which can be stored within commercial shelving will save on a lot of stock being wasted.
Heat build-up within a warehouse can severely impair the well-being of employees and lead to heat exhaustion. One of the many reasons this occurs is from the warehouse is too cramped for space, resulting in employees working in cramped aisles to find the stock.
This is a problem that needs immediate action. If you cannot afford to limit your stock intake, you need a better system of working. One option is upgrading your warehouse storage equipment to be able to take in higher levels of stock and not cram everything into aisles and the ends of them.
Employees need a breathable atmosphere where they do not suffer heat exhaustion or claustrophobia. No amount of stock is worth the well-being of your workforce.
There are many ways to plan ahead and not find yourself stuck in the summer months with lost stock and unhappy workers. Contact the team at Monarch Shelving today to explore the avenues of industrial storage racks and other storage needs.
Almost all warehouse operations commit to their pallet racking systems. These systems are the backbone of their entire operations – and those who pay little to no attention to their industrial storage rack’s structural health are sure to soon witness some form of disaster.
Some business owners are reluctant to maintain their systems or even replace their racks when it has outlived their lifecycle or suffered some damage.
Everything has a lifecycle – and pallet racking is no exception. The recommended working lifespan for pallet racking varies depending on the manufacturer. Some of them have 20+ years whilst others have a full lifetime guarantee.
These numbers vary on how good or bad the structures have been treated over the years. The warranties also may depend on an agreement for the installer to regularly inspect the racks once a year.
Periodic scheduled maintenance and replacement of any damaged, old or at-risk components will make sure that your pallet racking stays in good working condition and provides a safe working environment for your workforce and warehouse visitors.
Some steps can be taken to make your racking system safer and long-lasting.
This can be installing rack end protectors to ensure the ends of the racks stay in good health. The last frame of a racking system is one of the most vulnerable and most exposed to the potential impact, which makes these measures highly recommended.
Installing upright protectors in busy environments helps to reduce damage to uprights whenever an accidental collision occurs.
The biggest thing you can implement is an awareness of structural integrity issues that can be reported by staff. This can relate to impact signs such as dents and component deformations, corrosion or peeling paints and loose nuts and bolts holding up the structure.
Other things staff can take notice of are broken connections to any components and baseplates no longer fixed to the ground or anchors sheared due to impact. Having your staff knowledgeable enough to inform you of any problems or concerns and having urgent action in fixing the problem is sure to save the company money in many areas – especially towards stock and system loss on top of a halt in operations should a collapse occur.
Contact the team at Monarch Shelving for all enquiries on warehouse storage solutions, from commercial shelving to pallet racking systems and be sure that your system meets the professional standard for safety and satisfaction.
Does your warehouse storage equipment sag when your workforce stacks products on top of them? This would usually be a sign that they are unstable and close to collapse – which is the worst-case scenario for your warehouse business.
Not only would this result in a total loss on your commercial shelving, but this also results in stock loss and potential injury to your staff working around them. Either way, it costs your company an astronomical amount of money and loss.
You need to ensure that all of your warehouse storage equipment and fixtures are properly installed and only utilised for the products they are designed to stock – nothing heavier than the weight guidelines they have.
To properly distribute weight on your shelving solutions, there are some guidelines to follow to the letter.
No matter if it is shelving or industrial storage racks, consider the amount of weight you will be required to store upon them and hope many your products weigh.
Alongside that, take into consideration how tall and wide these products will be and how many are to be stacked within the spaces allocated for them. Looking ahead at the possibility of these products changing in volume or being more in demand in certain parts of the year gives you a clearer input to storage component requirements and makes an easier choice of system to meet the weight needs.
Evenly distributing weight across your shelving or storage solutions is an essential part of avoiding structural collapse.
It is deemed best practice to place heavier items on the sides of your shelves and lighter items more centrally. When possible, place the heaviest stock over the brackets of your system. No single part of a shelf should hold more weight than other parts of your shelf.
Every shelving and pallet racking manufacturer will provide strict instructions regarding weight capacity.
These guides are extremely helpful when purchasing and loading storage components, but it is always better to be safe than sorry. Storing weight that exceeds the manufacturer’s guidelines, it is best to reinforce the current system or upgrade to a system that allows for more support for products at a higher and riskier level. Do not take chances with your storage system guidelines for weight storage, as this is sure to end badly in most instances.
Contact the team at Monarch Shelving today for all pallet racking and commercial shelving requirements.
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Monarch Shelving Ltd
Unit F,Daltry Street, Oldham,
Lancashire, United KingdomOL1 4AB
Tel: 0161 627 3444 or 0161 622 0022
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