How much damage is ok to ignore? The short answer is NONE.
The reality is that most warehouses are lacking the proper rack protection necessary to prevent damage of some kind. Damage analysis is a sliding scale of severity, but ALL damage requires some level of inspection and documentation. The example above can look minor enough to fool a casual inspection, but a closer look could reveal a crack in the component that’s possibly hiding behind the paint. If it’s been impacted once, it’s a good candidate for additional future damage. A minor impact can weaken the racking, leading to a significant and dangerous condition if not addressed and repaired quickly.
We often see rack posts with only one anchor, which codes can allow under certain conditions, but a single anchor can’t prevent the post from twisting from a “light” impact. That slight twist puts the bracing welds under unintentional stress which can lead to fractures in the weld or in the rack material itself. Once the bracing is compromised, the entire upright is then outside of its intended design load capacity. That requires immediate attention to prevent escalation into a more serious situation. A corner guard, bollard, or railing could be an easy solution to prevent damage to the outer edge racking systems. See our Insight “Pallet Rack Safety and Repair Services in Cranbury” as an example of rack guarding.
Situations like this one are often preventable but once they occur, swift action must be taken to eliminate the risk of failure of the rack system. In this case a timber (by the warehouse staff) serves as temporary load bearing for the entire shelf system on both sides of this impacted upright. That solution itself isn’t fail-safe because all of the loading is placed on the safety pin of the beam connector to prevent the beam from dislodging away from the rack post. Immediate action calls for the unloading of the full height of the system on both sides until repair/replacement can occur.
This scenario obviously calls for replacement of the lower section of the upright, or more, but the previous examples also call for prompt inspection and documentation. It’s important to train your entire warehouse staff to point out any form of impact, regardless of how minor it may appear to be. See our Insight “Warehouse Safety Training Program and Checklist” for more information on reporting protocol and training methods.
The Integrity Team can guide you through the proper inspection process as well as a rack protection package that best suits your operation. Give us a call today.