5 Common Racking Inspection Questions
Answered by experts in the industry
Warehouse and pallet racking are integral to the smooth storage and transportation of goods across the UK and beyond. To outsiders, racking seems like a basic piece of the puzzle, but it can be far more complicated than it might seem to find the right warehouse racking system for a specific location. It can also be tricky to understand the warehouse racking safety implications and what your legal duty is in relation to pallet racking inspections.
Maintaining safety in warehouses and understanding your obligations under health and safety legislation isn’t an optional extra. If you run a warehouse, you need to stay on the right side of these regulations, or it can end in disaster – both physical disaster for your workforce and financial disaster when your insurance company finds out you haven’t adhered to the right regulations.
However, many warehouse owners and managers are understandably confused by the abundance of legislation relating to their sector. So, what are the rules when it comes to warehouse racking inspections and do you really need SEMA approved inspectors to visit your warehouse?
We have answers to the five most common questions asked about racking inspections below. If you need further assistance, or would like to get in touch with a SEMA Approved Racking Inspector, our contact details are at the bottom of the page, and we will get back to you to discuss your needs.
1. How Often Should Warehouse Racking Be Inspected?
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) state that a ‘technically competent’ person should carry out independent racking inspections at intervals of no more than 12 months. The legislation specifically mentions SEMA approved inspectors as a recommendation of good practice. It’s worth noting that there are some circumstances where you might need an earlier inspection. For instance, if equipment has been damaged or moved or if anything else has happened which makes you doubt the integrity of the racking and worry about its performance, you need an earlier rack safety inspection.Â
2. Is Racking Inspection a Legal Requirement?
Independent racking inspections are part of the HSE’s regulations and are part of the legal framework for any warehousing business. To put it plainly, a professional pallet racking inspection must be carried out every 12 months and the results of this audit including any damage and required repairs must be documented in a logbook. Warehouse racking inspections rely on a traffic light system with red risk requiring immediate action, amber risk requiring action as soon as possible and green items which only require surveillance.
3. Do Inspections Need to Be Carried Out by An Approved Inspector?
As mentioned above, the official HSG76 guidance from the HSE refers to a ‘technically competent’ person with further detail suggesting this might be a trained specialist from the organisation or from the rack supplier themselves. It might also be an ‘independent qualified rack inspector’ and that’s generally why SEMA approved rack inspectors are held to be best practice. Many organisations won’t have their own internal warehouse racking safety inspector, so the only option is an external rack safety inspection to comply with regulations.
4. How Much on Average Does a Racking Inspection Cost?
The costs of independent racking inspections vary depending on where the warehouse is, how many pallet locations there are within the warehouse and what square footage the warehouse occupies. As with many external services, take any generalised quote with a pinch of salt and get a detailed one with a breakdown of the number of pallets and/or the amount of square footage they commit to inspect. Remember, too, that the prices quoted are only for the rack safety inspection itself. It doesn’t cover any further work that might arise as a consequence of warehouse racking inspections such as urgent repairs or replacements. These will be carried out separately and invoiced accordingly.
5. Should I Carry Out Regular Internal Inspections During the Year?
As well as undertaking official independent racking inspections every 12 months, it is important that internal racking inspections take place regularly. Every warehouse location must have a PRRS (person responsible for racking safety) in place and this person should make weekly or otherwise regular visual inspections of the warehouse racking. A racking inspection checklist is a great aid to ensure that nothing gets missed when completing your examination. The inspection should be then maintained in a log accessible to all relevant parties. It’s vital, too, that every warehouse instils a culture of ‘immediate reporting’ into their workforce. If anyone spots anything that could potentially be a problem or become a problem, they should report it to the PRRS, and there should be company procedures in place to ensure this happens.
Racking Inspections by PASSHA
PASSHA offer SARI and SEMA approved inspectors to handle all your warehouse racking safety inspection requirements. We have a strong team of experienced warehouse inspectors who can undertake pallet racking inspections across the UK. We are pleased to offer competitive prices and specialise in fast quotations, offering a 1-hour call back service to help customers get their independent racking inspections in the diary as soon as possible.