Ignore Racking Systems at Your Peril
They are found nearly everywhere, across all industries and are a vital part of operations. But from a safety standpoint, racking systems are frequently ignored— until something goes tragically wrong.
Chuck Leon, a health and safety consultant with Workplace Safety & Prevention Services in Mississauga, ON, is passionate about racking system safety. His concern was sparked by a workplace fatality at a cold food storage warehouse and distribution operation in Brampton, ON, in August 2003.
Virgilio Bernardino, 57, was buried under tons of debris when a racking system failed, causing part of the roof to cave in and a wall to buckle. It took workers three days to recover his body.
Safety inspectors determined that the racks at the VersaCold facility lacked recommended supports and the company had no procedures in place to ensure that lift trucks were operated so as to avoid collisions with storage racks.
While the VersaCold fatality raised employers’ awareness of steel racking system safety, Leon says many workplaces haven’t absorbed the message.
“Racking systems and loading docks are areas that have traditionally been overlooked,” he says. (See a related Safety Talk: Be Wary of Warehouse Hazards)
Leon can quickly assess how much attention a company pays to its racking systems, which may have been in service for decades. It’s not uncommon for a plant to be unable to provide documentation regarding who installed the racks and when, who modified them and under whose supervision, and produce records showing how often racking is inspected for defects or damage.
A professional installer ensures the structural integrity of walls and floors before installing steel racking. A novice may skip this vital step.
Another problem with a non-professional installation is that racks may be placed too near one another. Narrow aisles between racks can make it nearly impossible for forklift operators to load and unload pallets without bumping machinery and materials into them.
And when an operator does unintentionally damage a rack support, he or she may not inform a supervisor for fear of being reprimanded or fired.
“The scary part for us is that most of the damage occurs in the bottom five feet and that’s where damage is most critical (since lower rack sections bear the bulk of the system’s weight).”
Without regular inspections of racking for signs of damage such as cracked paint, dents and bowed-out components, supervisors are risking serious incidents, especially in retail operations where people are shopping between towering racks of merchandise.
“Another issue is the way the product is put away,” says Leon, adding that many companies have no idea how much weight a racking system can safely handle and even if they know its capacity, a lift truck operator may have no idea of the weight of material being stacked on it.
Other safety issues that concern Leon include:
- A lack of supervision. If supervisors are busy with paperwork and aren’t on the floor, they won’t see unsafe procedures that could cause an incident. If an injury or fatality occurs, a supervisor and his or her employer could be charged with failing to take all reasonable precautions to ensure workers’ safety.
- A lack of supervisor training related to racking systems. If supervisors haven’t received training, they won’t know how to properly inspect racking for hazards.
- A lack of operator training. Anyone working with racking systems needs to be trained on safe storage methods. “Putting something away on the fourth level of a racking system is a skill,” he says. “Not just anyone can do that.”
- A lack of professional oversight. Leon says that in Ontario and probably many other jurisdictions, any time racking is moved, modified, cut, spliced or welded, an engineer must inspect and sign off on the work done.
