Posted on: November 17th, 2011 by admin No Comments

Businesses Should Carry Out Rack Inspections

Every business needs to protect their employees and make sure the working environment is safe to work in and some working environments are more susceptible to accidents and potential hazards than others. For example, an office environment has different risks and hazards to employees than factories and warehouses. Whatever the industry though, all businesses must adhere to, and follow, up-to-date Health and Safety Guidelines set out in the Health & Safety at Work Act 1975 section 2.

Factories and warehousing companies, or any business that uses pallet racking must carry out a rack inspection as part of the health and safety procedures. Pallet racking is essential for a warehouse to operate efficiently but it still a requirement for regular pallet rack inspections to make sure they are safe and secure.

There are several benefits for businesses to encourage rack inspections and we’ve listed a few of these below:

Pallet racking is classed as ‘Work Equipment’ and therefore requires documented inspections and maintenance and the benefits will ensure your employees are in safe environment and the pallet racking is still secure.

The company insurance premiums and maintenance costs can be reduced as regular checks will highlight any problems with the racking but will also make sure it running efficiently and any maintenance is carried out promptly rather than a potential problem going un-noticed and costing more to fix in the long run.

Employees will know they are working in a safe and secure environment – which is important as employees will also look out for potential hazards and be more aware of potential risks and make sure they are adequately trained and equipped to perform a certain task.

The potential for accidents and mishaps are present in any working environment. However, if you are in a warehouse or storage area the potential for serious accidents like a rack collapse are higher and result in more damaging consequences that can have employees injured and out of work or worse. Therefore rack inspections are an important and critical element to any business to highlight and then reduce the risks.