Pallet racking needs inspecting at three levels: damage reported by anyone as soon as they see it, visual inspections at least weekly or at other regular intervals, and an expert inspection by a technically competent person at intervals of no more than 12 months. That is the pattern HSE sets out in HSG76, Warehousing and storage: A guide to health and safety (opens in a new tab), and the one BS EN 15635 follows.
The rest of this guide covers who decides how often your site is inspected, what each level of inspection involves, what the green, amber and red damage categories mean, and what should be written down.
Who is responsible for racking safety
HSG76 asks for a nominated person responsible for racking safety, often shortened to PRRS. BS EN 15635 calls the same role the person responsible for storage equipment safety (PRSES), and expects the user to appoint one and make their name known to staff.
The PRRS decides how often inspections happen, based on the conditions at the site, receives damage reports and the expert's written report, and makes sure the actions in them are carried out. On a small site this is often the warehouse manager; on a large one it may be a dedicated role.
The three levels of inspection
| Level | Who carries it out | How often | What is recorded |
|---|---|---|---|
| Immediate reporting | Anyone who sees damage | As soon as it is seen | Reported straight to the PRRS |
| Visual inspection | The PRRS, or someone they arrange | Weekly, or at other regular intervals set by risk | A formal written record |
| Expert inspection | A technically competent person | At intervals of no more than 12 months | A written report to the PRRS |
Immediate reporting
Every employee should report damage to the PRRS as soon as they see it. Forklift drivers are usually first to know, so this works best when reporting is quick and there is no blame attached to it.
Regular visual inspections
The PRRS arranges visual inspections weekly or at other regular intervals, and keeps a formal written record of each one. These are walk-round checks for new impact damage, missing beam locks, damaged column guards and base plates, and loads that do not match the load notice. They are not a substitute for the expert inspection, but they catch most damage between expert visits.
Expert inspections
A technically competent person carries out an expert inspection at intervals of no more than 12 months, and gives the PRRS a written report with the damage found and the action each item needs. HSG76 notes the expert can be in-house, from the racking supplier or an independent inspector.
In the UK, many expert inspections are carried out by a SEMA approved rack inspector (SARI) (opens in a new tab), who has passed SEMA's course and assessment and keeps up continuing professional development. SEMA describes the expert inspection as due at least once a year.
Green, amber and red: what each category means
HSG76 (Table 11) and BS EN 15635 sort damage found at inspection into three categories.
| Category | What it means | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Green | Requiring surveillance only | Record it, and check it again at future inspections |
| Amber | Hazardous damage requiring action as soon as possible | No immediate offloading needed, but once offloaded do not reload until repaired. Isolate it, for example with dated labels. If not repaired within four weeks, treat it as red |
| Red | Very serious damage requiring immediate action | Offload the area immediately and isolate it until repaired, usually by replacing the damaged component |
Amber damage left unrepaired for four weeks is treated as red. The rule is easy to lose track of between visits: a dated label on each amber location, and a list of amber items with the date each was found, keeps it in view.
Load notices and beam locks
HSG76 expects racking to carry a clear load notice showing the maximum loads it is designed for, such as the maximum bay load and the load per beam level. Both the weekly checks and the expert inspection should confirm the notice is there, legible and still matches the racking, since a notice can quietly stop matching once beam levels have been moved.
Beam connector locks should be fitted at both ends of every beam. A missing lock is quick to fix and easy to spot on a walk-round, which makes it a good item for the weekly checklist.
What your records should show
HSG76 asks for written records of both visual and expert inspections, kept in something like a logbook. Whatever form they take, they are most useful when each one shows:
- the date, the area inspected and who inspected it
- each damaged location, identified by run, bay and level, and front or rear
- the component affected and the category given
- the action needed, who owns it and when it is due
- photos of every amber and red item
- when each action was completed, and the date of the next inspection
Locations matter most. "Run 3, bay 06/07, level 2, front" can be found by a repair team months later; "damaged upright near the dock doors" cannot.
Setting the interval for your site
Weekly is the usual starting point for visual inspections, and a busy site may need them more often. Sites with heavy forklift traffic, multiple shifts, narrow aisles or a history of repeat damage tend to justify a shorter interval, while a quiet store with little movement may justify a longer one. Whatever the PRRS decides, the reasons should be written down and reviewed when the way the site works changes.
The expert inspection stays at no more than 12 months in every case. SEMA notes that some sites book them twice a year, depending on their risk assessment.
Recording racking inspections with Trysquare
Trysquare is field operations software that a racking inspection company, or a warehouse team doing its own weekly checks, can set up around the way it already works. Sites, runs and bays become records. The inspection is a form with one entry per damaged location, graded with your own green, amber and red options. Counts by category are worked out as the inspector goes, and actions are raised from the finding itself. The finished report carries your own name and logo.
Trysquare records the inspection rather than carrying it out. The categories, the wording and the judgement stay with your inspector. Trysquare keeps every finding, action and report together, so the records described above take less time to keep and are there when someone asks for them.
Sources
- HSE, HSG76: Warehousing and storage, a guide to health and safety (opens in a new tab), paragraphs 634 to 651 and Table 11
- SEMA, What is a SEMA approved racking inspector? (opens in a new tab)
- BS EN 15635, Steel static storage systems: application and maintenance of storage equipment