Preventing Shelving Collapses and Falling Products

Shelving collapses represent the kind of unwelcome nightmare most warehouse managers pray they’ll never experience. But they happen, and on a regular basis as well. Why? Well, for quite a number of reasons, though in most instances it simply comes down to the shelving itself having been used or positioned inappropriately.

At best, a shelving collapse may result in heavy expenses due to product damage and destruction. At worst, a shelving collapse or falling products may result in serious injury to one or more members of the workforce. Suffice to say therefore, it is the kind of issue that must be approached proactively and professionally, in order to minimise the likelihood of such eventualities.

So for those looking to take a hands-on approach to improving the safety of their own shelving, what realistic steps can be taken to do so?

1.     Space Out Your Items – first of all, it’s a good idea to get into the habit of ensuring that all products stored on your shelves have at least a little breathing room. The reason being that one of the most common causes of falling merchandise is when things have been packed together so tightly that you end up pulling more off the shelf than you bargained for.  Admittedly, you may require more shelves which may take up more floor space, but is nonetheless important to give your merchandise sufficient room.

2.     Watch the Weight – unsurprisingly, if you overload your shelves with the kind of heavy merchandise they simply were not designed to hold, disastrous consequences are largely inevitable. If the manufacturer specifies that a shelving system can hold 200kg for example, this doesn’t mean you will get away with storing 220kg of goods on it. Err on the side of caution and use common sense when it comes to weight limits.

3.     Remember the Rear – one sure-fire way of triggering product falls on a regular basis is to operate with shelving racks that are open on both sides.  The reason being that when positioning or removing goods from one side, you run a very high risk of pushing or knocking other items off the other side. If it isn’t 100% necessary to access the shells from both sides, consider closing off the back to prevent products from falling.

4.     Firm Fixings – it’s also crucially important to think carefully about exactly how securely or otherwise your shelving units have been fixed to the walls and floors of the warehouse. Free standing shelf units can be particularly dangerous when not secured appropriately, if they are summarily used to store heavy or awkward goods. When storing anything heavy or awkward, try to use low-level shelves and units that are secured firmly in place.

5.     Protect from Impact – one guaranteed way of triggering a shelving collapse or product fall is to go flying into the unit in a forklift. As such, it’s a good idea to think about installing protective bollards around your warehouse shelving, in order to prevent this from happening.

6.     Inspect Regularly – last but not least, there’s really no such thing as a shelving unit with the kind of integrity to last forever. Sooner or later, all shelving units will begin to lose their ability to perform as safely and reliably as required. As such, it is the responsibility of those working in the warehouse to frequently inspect all shelving and storage solutions across the board, in order to detect when repairs or replacements may be needed.