Damaged racking is a clear indicator that unsafe operation is present within your site, and without the necessary follow-up actions, you could face serious issues and quickly rack up disruptions, costs and injuries.
We’ve all seen the videos on social media that depict racking falling in a warehouse like dominoes. If you allow bad practice to become the norm, this nightmare scenario, or a similarly dangerous situation, could become a reality within your operations.
And don’t forget, it isn’t only major racking collapses that pose a problem. Less catastrophic, but still incredibly disruptive, incidents also cost businesses time and money. Simply having to isolate an area of racking for repair can be a huge disturbance, especially when warehouse space is at a premium.
The solution? Find the root of the problem. By pinpointing and correcting the bad practice that leads to these dents and scrapes, those overseeing your operations can reduce the risk of racking damage occurring in the first place.
Identifying the problem
Firstly, it is important to locate any specific problem areas within your working environment, as this will provide valuable context and help point you towards the relevant improvements.
For example, damage to racking legs is particularly common, often caused by contact with powered pallet trucks (PPTs) and low-level order pickers (LLOPs). But remember, when checking your storage system for damage, it’s important to look at all levels.
Damage occurring at height usually indicates poor handling practices—such as turning with a raised load or failing to align correctly when stacking or destacking. Unsafe behaviour at these heights can also lead to “push-throughs,” where the load being handled inadvertently pushes the one behind it. This can damage the rear racking or dislodge stored loads, creating serious safety risks.
Of course, these are just examples – all racking should undergo regular inspections by a trained and competent person as a matter of course, for safety and compliance.
Damage = costs
Where there is damage, there are inevitably costs involved. If you’re running a decent sized fleet, a £100,000 bill at the end of a typical contract isn’t unheard of. This is a huge amount of money to spend, but many businesses view it as inevitable. That simply isn’t the case.
Reduce risk by tackling the cause
Once you’ve identified any issues, it’s then a case of finding the relevant ways to tackle them. This could incorporate any number of methods, including:
- Traffic management
Reviewing the flow of traffic around your site may help. Introducing one-way systems and restricted areas can reduce congestion in busy locations and lower the risk of accidents. Mirrors on blind corners can also help operators to see oncoming traffic/pedestrians and therefore avoid the risk of collisions with others, or fixtures and fittings.
- Quality assured training
Evidence of unsafe operation suggests that your drivers are either unaware of best practice or have developed complacent attitudes to safety. Either way, making sure that they receive the relevant training is one of the most effective ways to reduce risk. Ensure that quality-assured operator training is in place for novices and experienced operators alike, including regular refresher courses to keep skills and priorities aligned with safe practice. While your current policy may recommend refreshing every 3–5 years, additional training may be required in between, so if noticeable issues such as racking damage continue, this may indicate the need to increase the frequency, or take further action.
- Regular monitoring and supervision
Those overseeing forklift operations on site play a key role in promoting safe practices by actively monitoring and supervising their teams. Whether this is done by reviewing CCTV footage, truck telematics or regularly ‘walking the floor’, reinforcing the importance of safe operation can help to foster a culture of accountability and continuous improvement. To do this effectively, however, managers and supervisors must be able to confidently recognise both good and bad practice, so that they can take action when needed.
This doesn’t mean that your managers need to be certified operators themselves, but they do need the skills and knowledge to understand and effectively reduce the risks presented by MHE on site. Training courses such as Managing Forklift Operations (and its flexible e-learning alternative), are specifically designed to equip managers to meet their responsibilities, keeping your working environment safe and your business compliant.
Take a proactive approach
So if damaged racking is plaguing your operations, shift your focus to the unsafe practice at its root. Proactively tackle this via training, monitoring, reviewing procedures or a combination of methods, and the risk of damage will dramatically reduce – closely followed by your repair bills.
Ensure your team have the training they need to keep operations running smoothly. Mentor’s courses for operators and those managing MHE use are fully AITT accredited and offer total assurance of standards every time, for safety and compliance. Contact us or speak with an expert advisor on 01246 555222 to see how we can help you.