Is your Warehouse Racking System Damaged?

Is your Warehouse Racking System Damaged?  Does your Rack System look like any of the damaged rack shown in the photos below?  Are you concerned that your racking system damages could potentially put your employees or business at risk?  If you have answered yes to any of these questions, then we strongly suggest having a visual rack inspection completed right away.

Rack Damages to be looking for during a rack inspection:

• Check for Frame damages, which can come in many different types of damages such as; low column frame damages, column dents, column crushing, high column frame damages above or below each beam elevation, damages to horizontal or diagonal bracing, any missing bracing, any weld concerns on bracing or at footplate, and any missing or broken anchors.
• If there are column protectors on the frames, check behind to ensure that there are not any hidden damages behind the protectors.
• End of Row Frames can be very susceptible to damages if not properly protected, so recommend closely checking row end frames for the all above damages, along with checking if these frames may be out of alignment due to any direct hits or because pallets have been placed at the ends of rows.
• Check Beams for damages; such as dents, tears, broken welds, missing load lock connectors, missing bolts.
• Check to ensure that all Beams are properly engaged and are not dislodged or loose from the frame.
• Check Beams for any signs of overloading, which can cause deflection and or bowing.
• Check Wire Decks for any broken wires, broken or bent channels, and that there is no deflection or bending on the wires from overloading or point loads.
• On Push Back Systems, check tracks to ensure that there is no debris or residues on tracks which could be causing the pallets to get stuck or hung up in the system. Check to ensure there are pallet stops on the front beams. Ensure the landing space on the push back cart is large enough for operators to be able to comfortably place pallets in the higher levels as this is a problem we commonly see and have custom designs to help solve that problem.
• On Pallet Flow Systems, check for any broken, bent or missing wheels and or rollers. Check the straightness of the tracks to ensure that pallets are flowing smoothly and ensure that all brakes are intact and working.
• Make sure when purchasing new Rack Systems that it’s made in the USA by a reputable RMI certified manufacturer.

It is highly recommended to get signed and sealed calculations when installing new racking systems, as this is an issue we commonly see where customer’s do not want to spend the extra money for these vital calculations and designs which are signed by a P.E., as sometimes down the line a local inspector or municipality may come to your warehouse years later and ask for drawings and calculations of your racking system and when you don’t have them you will have to then get this completed after the fact and when doing so you may find that the codes have changed and it may cost you a lot more money in the long run to bring all your racking up to code.