Getting the most out of your warehouse space is of utmost importance if you want the work in your storage facilities and your business to run smoothly. For that purpose, the quality of the shelving system you use can either make or break the business operation and can make a huge difference in the way your business runs.

Shelving units are designed specially for the sole purpose of bringing order in the space. Whether it is pallet racking, drive-in racking, decked racking or light duty shelving, you must inspect the racking beams as well as the whole system regularly in order to ensure that the environment is safe both for the workers as well as the stored goods.

If you work in a warehouse you have probably seen shelving systems in various conditions. It is really important that employees are trained to inspect the racks to ensure overall safety in the working space. Therefore, depending on the size of your warehouse, the object should have at least one employee who will inspect racks at all times.

What should be inspected?

Although rack inspections are not complicated, they do contain a few elements. Firstly and most importantly, the inspector should make sure that all racks are plumb and level. This is essential because many injuries and accidents happen because of unleveled or poor installation. One of the most obvious signs of plumb problems are crookedness and misaligned rows of pallets. Sometimes, this can be a result of an uneven floor or foundation issues of the warehouse. Both of these problems can have a great impact on pallets, racks as well as the integrity of shelving.

Other important things racks should be inspected for are corrosion, rust and structural weakness. This is important because even the smallest spot of rust can cause collision between racks which can result in unwanted injuries or lost inventory. It is essential that you inspect your shelving system regularly as collision can significantly destroy racks which only means that you will have to spend valuable time and money to replace them. For that purpose, it is advisable that you do not wait for rust spots to appear, instead, look for scraped paint and listen for squeaking or creaking as these are one of the most obvious indicators that the metal may be weak.

Although the shelving system may look okay, the racking beams can be damaged or missing parts. Therefore, clips, bolts and attachment pins should never be missing because beams must not bow under heavy loads. It is alright if there is slight deflection, but if the they are constantly bowed, this indicates that the loads are too heavy and can damage the shelving system. Racking beams should not be twisted or dented and should never bow more than 1/180 of their total length.