Warehouse Racking Protection: Everything You Need To Know

Creating an effective racking setup for your warehouse involves several elements: design, installation, automation, etc. One area that shouldn’t be ignored is the safety and stability of your racking. Racking protection is not just about preserving infrastructure and stock; it’s a crucial investment in the long-term safety and efficiency of your operation. This article addresses the importance of warehouse racking protection, its benefits to staff and businesses, and the potential risks if this essential step is skipped.

What is Racking Protection?

Warehouse racking protection incorporates a safety system of robust shields and frameworks that protect warehouse racking, its users, and stored inventory. All warehouses have a racking system to stack goods, often made from steel and consisting of multiple levels. By installing racking protection, warehouses not only protect staff from injuries but also prevent any damage to products and extend the longevity of the racking itself — shielding it from potential collisions with equipment or vehicles.

Why is Racking Protection Important?

A warehouse’s combination of people, equipment, and heavy machinery, such as forklifts, creates many risks to the safety and efficiency of your operation. Warehouse racking is in constant use, making it a common location for accidents and structural damage. From vehicle collisions that can weaken structural integrity and cause racking collapses to stock toppling and potentially harming someone, these impacts can result in operational downtime, costly repairs, and non-compliance with safety regulations. By investing in racking protection, warehouses can minimise the likelihood of these incidents, ensuring the safety of both workers and goods with a cost-effective and long-lasting solution.

Benefits of Racking Protection

• Enhanced Safety: Protects workers by preventing racking collapses caused by accidental impacts, reducing the risk of injury and creating a safer environment.
• Inventory Protection: Safeguards valuable goods from damage from racking failures or instability. Helping to avoid financial losses from damaged products.
• Cost Savings: Reduces the need for costly repairs, replacements, and downtime resulting from damaged racking systems.
• Operational Efficiency: Minimises disruptions and downtime by maintaining the structural integrity of racking, ensuring smooth and continuous workflows.
• Regulatory Compliance: Helps businesses comply with safety regulations and avoid fines or legal issues if accidents occur.
• Extended Equipment Lifespan: Protects the racking system itself, extending its lifespan and maximising the return on investment in warehouse infrastructure.

Types of QTS Racking Protection

End of Aisle Rack Protectors

Highly robust and visible buffers that sit at the base of your racking. They curve around rack ends, protecting the structure from being hit by moving vehicles. This helps preserve the racking’s stability and prevents any falls or damage to the stock on those racks, minimising costs and increasing operational efficiency.

Pallet Racking Upright Protectors

Individually placed at the end of a rack, pallet racking upright protectors are positioned at the bottom to protect racking posts. Securely screwed into the ground, they shield your racking from daily wear and tear, extending the life and stability of your racking.

Rack Deflectors

With a more compact design, rack deflectors are fitted directly to your racking posts, making them great space savers and essential racking protectors. They are designed to embrace impact from equipment and vehicles, minimising damage to the post.

View our Pallet Racket Protection options or read our blog for more information on each type of racking protection.

Warehouse Safety Barriers

Warehouse safety barriers provide a broader level of protection by creating physical boundaries between equipment, racking, and pedestrian zones. These barriers are typically installed in high-traffic areas to prevent forklifts and other machinery from accidentally striking racking systems or other sensitive equipment. Safety barriers are highly durable and designed to withstand heavy impacts, making them an essential component of any warehouse’s safety strategy. In addition to protecting racking, they help direct traffic flow and reduce the risk of accidents involving workers.

Are There Any Warehouse Racking Regulations?

It is recommended to provide adequate racking safety measures to protect workers, inventory, and your business. The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) provides guidelines and valuable insights on creating a safe warehouse environment. If an accident did occur and a company failed to implement these guidelines, they could be held responsible. The HSE’s warehouse safety guidelines include:

• Ensuring warehouse racking is installed correctly
• Ensuring racking is highly visible to site drivers
• Providing physical protection to workers and visitors
• Prohibiting the misuse of racking, such as no climbing or overloading
• Undertaking regular internal rack inspections with accredited external inspectors
• Provide relevant racking inspection and safety training to key personnel

What Are Potential Racking Hazards in a Warehouse?

By identifying the areas of weakness within your warehouse racking system, you can install the right protective solution to increase the safety of your racking and warehouse for staff, stock and visitors. Potential risks to warehouse racking include:

• Racking collapses
• Stock falling from racking
• Staff working at height falling
• Vehicles scratching or denting racking when loading/unloading
• Forklifts forks denting racks, or puncturing stock
• Vehicles bashing or scraping along rack ends while manoeuvring
• General wear and tear over the years can weaken racking

How To Choose The Right Warehouse Racking Protection

Warehouse racking protection should be considered when designing and installing your racking setup. At QTS, we can support you at this stage or once your racking system has been implemented. We can recommend the best racking protection to maximise your warehouse’s safety while minimising risks and unnecessary costs. Get in touch with our team today.