Warehouse owners urged to prioritise safety when installing new rack systems
24/02/2020 by Derek
In the USA, the materials handling association RMI and rack manufacturers are concerned that in response to increased orders, new racking systems may be installed without making health and safety a priority.
A warehouse rack manufacturer makes quality racks using strong tubular steel, but these need to be installed correctly. Dave Olsen from Ridge-U-Rack reports that he has seen racks where the columns are not bolted to the floor, making them unsafe. He notes that some warehouse owners are trying to save money by not investing in the best safety training for warehouse operations.
Due to the rapid growth in online sales, warehouses often try to process a lot more orders using the same equipment and infrastructure they used for lower sales volumes. To address this issue, many warehouse owners are investing in automated equipment to pick and process orders, but the existing racks may not be suitable for use with automation and could be a safety hazard if not upgraded.
When replacing or expanding racking systems, the new racks should be compliant with all lighting, sprinkler and other systems in order to be safe.
Jaqueline Terrell of REB Storage Systems says:
“You can’t simply purchase [a] rack, set it up, and place the products on it. The operation as a whole must first be assessed (space, SKUs, materials handling equipment, etc.) and the rack system must be designed around that.”
Expanding the warehouses with new racking systems must take health and safety into account at the planning stage.
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