Safety is always the number one priority in the warehouse. There are a number of different areas that have to be inspected for safety, including forklifts, loading docks, and, of course, the pallet racks. Making certain your pallet racks are safe begins with repair and protection. Here are a few different things to keep in mind when doing repairs on your pallet racks in order to protect your employees.
Have a Time Table
While you’ll want to do repairs anytime you notice that they are needed, you should also have a safety and inspection timetable. This should list out everything that needs to be inspected, when it needs to be done, and what type of follow-up, if any, is required. Having a timetable like this will make certain that any issues are found and dealt with. You may want have several different timetables, too. One may be done monthly or weekly, while others are done on a three-month or even six-month basis.
For pallet racks, you may want to do your inspections fairly regularly just in case one of the racks starts to become unbalanced or looks like it could collapse. This is especially true if you’re using used pallet racks because they’re more likely to wear out more quickly.
Train Your Crew
Your employees are working around your pallet racks every day, and it’s very likely that they will see an issue before you do. That’s why it’s important that all of your employees are trained to recognize common repair issues and know how to go about reporting them. They should keep an eye out for thinks like support struts that are buckling or screws that are loose. If they notice something that they can fix right away, they should do so, but they should also note that repair in the repair log so that the warehouse manager is aware of it.
Replace Racks that are Beyond Repair
Not all pallet racks are going to be able to be repaired. When a rack becomes so worn that it’s no longer safe, even if repairs are made, then it’s time to replace it. Knowing when it’s fine to make repairs and when it’s time to simply throw away and replace a pallet rack (or anything, really), is key to protecting employees. Don’t be a hoarder: when something needs to be replaced, it’s okay to spend the money necessary to replace it, especially when safety is involved.
Protection
There are a few different things you can do to protect employees from injury while they work around pallet racks. First, make certain the pallet racks are anchored to the floor properly and are set on a flat surface. The pallet racks should be perfectly vertical—if they’re leaning to the side, they’re a hazard and should be corrected or replaced.
Another factor in protection is spacing. Your pallet racks should create aisles that are wide enough for all of your forklifts to easily move through. If an aisle isn’t large enough, the forklift can hit the pallet racks, damaging them and the forklift.
Questions? Comment below, so we can get them answered!
No comments yet.