Do I Need Pallet Racking Inspections For My Warehouse?
Are your warehouse operations compliant with current regulations? If your business utilises pallet racking, it is essential to engage an accredited pallet racking inspection service to ensure continued compliance.
Did you know? Annual inspections of warehouse pallet racking are now mandated by legislation, helping you avoid significant fines and operational disruptions.
Our team of certified SEMA Approved Racking Inspectors (SARIs) conducts thorough inspections in strict adherence to SEMA standards, bringing extensive industry experience to every assessment.
Our knowledgeable and professional inspectors will conduct a thorough evaluation of your warehouse racking systems, identifying any faults or issues that require attention to maintain safety and compliance.
Based in Dudley near Birmingham, we are ideally located to come to your site to conduct your pallet racking inspections, no matter where you are based in the UK.
Pallet Racking Inspections by SEMA Approved Racking Inspectors
Our team of qualified pallet racking inspectors perform comprehensive annual evaluations of warehouse storage equipment and racking systems, including pallet racking, shelving, cantilever racking and mezzanine flooring. Each inspection results in detailed reports that include professional recommendations and highlight any areas requiring maintenance or improvement.
What Do Pallet Racking Inspections Help Guard Against?
Regular inspections help to minimise the number and severity of warehouse accidents.
Over the years, moving goods, modifying warehouse layouts, and general wear and tear can cause significant changes to your pallet racking. This can potentially lead to accidents and injuries, threatening the well-being of both warehouse staff, property, and goods stored.
Our pallet racking inspections can help prevent:
- Damage to your valuable stored goods.
- Your pallet racks from aging.
- Injury to staff, keeping them safe from accidents.
- Costly pallet racking replacements in future if any were to break.
All in all, inspections are vital not just for the protection of your workforce and your assets, but also as a more cost-effective solution than forking out for replacement costs in future.
How Do Pallet Racking Inspections Work?
Warehouse pallet racking inspections work based on a colour-coded system with three different stages of urgency:
Green – The racking is only slightly damaged, requires monitoring, but completely safe to use.
Amber – Damage has occurred, but it is not serious enough to need immediate off-loading. Once goods have been removed, do not reload, racking repairs to be carried out within 4 weeks. Should repair not be carried out within allocated time this will become a Red risk.
Red – The most severe type of damage, the racking needs to be unloaded immediately and must not be used until repairs are carried out.
Once the on-site assessment has taken place, the inspector will advise Person Responsible Racking Safety (PRRS) of any Red risks that require immediate off-loading.
Our fully insured inspectors’ advice is always impartial and unbiased.
How Long Does It Take?
Pallet racking inspections can take between 2-4 hours or a few days depending on the size of the warehouse. Once completed a detailed electronic report is then provided to the client within 7-10 working days, detailing the severity and location of the damage.
Repairs can then be carried out by your preferred supplier. Any other safety measures can be implemented to ensure storage equipment is protected between pallet racking inspections.
Why Choose Teepee as Your Inspection Company?
- Established in 1987 we have a proven track record in servicing SME’s to blue chip companies such as Carlsberg UK, Greggs, Hobbycraft, Unipart and Walkers. View our case studies here.
- Accreditations – SEMA Member – ‘Advanced’ status, ISO9001 and SafeContractor.
- Provide nationwide repair and racking inspection training agreements.
- All expert inspections carried out by SEMA Approved Inspectors, including a fully itemised damaged list.
- Dedicated repair team able to access regular damaged components, enabling ‘End Users’ to pre-order replacement materials, thus reducing rack down-times.
- All work carried out by SEMA approved installers known as SEIRS.
- Large discounts available on all repair work due to manufacturers agreements.
- Nationwide Service: Based in Dudley, close to Birmingham in the West Midlands, we are strategically positioned to come to your site to carry out your pallet racking inspections, whether you’re in London, Manchester, Leeds or anywhere else in the UK.
Pallet Racking Inspections In Birmingham & Across the UK
Get In Touch With Teepee Today
Entrust your pallet racking and warehouse needs to the experienced professionals at Teepee Materials Handling today. We are committed to maintaining the safety and functionality of your storage systems, while ensuring compliance with industry regulations and safeguarding your organisation against potential future costs.
Whether you’re located close to us in the West Midlands, near Dudley and Birmingham, or you’re based further afield, we can come to you to conduct your racking inspections.
Pallet Racking Inspections FAQ’s
1. Who are SEMA?
SEMA (Storage Equipment Manufacturers Association) is the British Trade Association of the Storage Equipment Industry and represent the warehouse and storage sector in the HSE committee.
They are an organisation committed to promoting and extending the safe design, installation and inspection of Racking, Cantilever, Shelving and Mezzanine floor systems.
2. Do I need to inspect my racking / storage equipment?
Yes. There is a legal obligation on employers to ensure their employees work in a safe environment using safe work equipment (see list below).
- Health and Safety at Work Act (1974) – Section 2.
- The Workplace, Health, Safety and Welfare Regulations 1992.
- The Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998 (PUWER).
- Management of Health & Safety at Work Regulations 1999.
- The HSE Warehouse and Storage Safety Guide HSG 76.
- SEMA Guide to the conduct of pallet racking and shelving surveys.
- SEMA/FEM 10.2.16 The Design and Use of Rack Protection for Adjustable Pallet Racking.
These statutory laws and guidelines are important because they help protect people by ensuring safe workplaces. They help businesses avoid legal penalties and protect their employees and customers, ensuring operational legality. Regulations help maintain standards.
3. How often do I need to inspect my racking?
Frequency of inspections of storage equipment falls into 3 – categories, these are:
- Immediate Inspections – Reporting of all damage and areas of concern to the Person Responsible Racking Safety (PRRS), ensuring any issues have been documented and records kept on action required.
- End user inspection – Weekly or monthly “in-house” inspection been overseen by a PRRS. All personnel carrying out regular inspections must be suitably trained i.e. completed a Rack and Safety Awareness course, all inspections to be carried out at ground level.
- Expert inspection – To be carried out at 12-month intervals by a qualified Rack Inspector. This in-depth report not only identifies damage but will also provide guidance and comments on other warehouse activities such as condition of equipment, suitability of mechanical handling equipment, pallet placement including suitability, load notice signs, housekeeping, etc, including recommendations. All inspections to be carried out at ground level.
Note
SEMA also recommend an expert inspection takes place 4 – months after the following scenarios.
- New installation and the end users forklift operatives require driver training due to a different type of forklift being used i.e. Counterbalance to Reach Truck, Reach Truck to Articulated or VNA.
- Extension or alteration to an existing installation and the end users forklift operatives require driver training due to a new forklift operation (see above for examples).
All the above applies to standard racking i.e. wide aisle and very narrow aisle racking (VNA), shelving and cantilever racking. Ideally cantilever over 4,500mm high should be inspected using a suitable access platform.
4. Can my own trained employee carry out an annual 'Expert' inspection?
No. Staff who have attended a Rack Safety Awareness course do not have the qualifications to carry out an ‘Expert Inspection’ to meet HSE requirements.
5. What is the difference between a SEMA Approved Rack Inspector (SARI) over a technically competent person or insurance inspector?
No. Staff who have attended a Rack Safety Awareness course do not have the qualifications to carry out an ‘Expert Inspection’ to meet HSE requirements.
6. What is the difference between an inspection completed by a SARI and an inspection not completed by a SARI?
The advantages of having a SARI complete your inspection over a Non-SARI are as follows:
- Annual reports meet SEMA / HSE requirements.
- Inspectors must attend regular Continuous Professional Development (CPD) courses, to ensure they are aware of any technical updates.
- It is a requirement by SEMA that all inspectors have suitable ‘Professional Indemnity’ insurance, offering the end user peace of mind.
- All inspectors are trained to offer advice with reference to racking suitability, load notice signs data, housekeeping, general racking safety, etc.
- All reports are chargeable opposed to being free. This provides the ‘End User’ with a list of materials that genuinely need replacing, opposed to receiving ridiculous repair costs after a report has been completed.
7. What is the role of a 'Person Responsible Racking Safety' (PRRS)?
A Person Responsible Racking Safety (PRRS) has been appointed by management, having the responsibility for maintaining safety within the warehouse but also the warehouse storage system, these duties will include:
- Maintain rack inspection and maintenance records.
- Skills necessary to quantify damage (i.e. trivial from serious damage) or should delegate this task to a competent person.
- Have the authority to implement immediate action where necessary.
- Possess necessary skills to analyse damage data, identify regular occurrences and propose and implement action.