The regulation for racking inspection is outlined by HSE and depends on the kind of racking inspection. These racking inspection regulations are also echoed by the HSA in Ireland and the EU.
Pallet Racking Regulations
According to HSE, pallet racking should be inspected by a qualified expert at least once a year. HSE recommends SEMA by name for this job. There are two kinds of SEMA approved racking inspector: adjustable pallet racking inspectors and cantilever racking inspectors. All cantilever racking inspectors are also adjustable pallet racking inspectors, but not all adjustable pallet racking inspectors are cantilever racking inspectors.
In short, for pallet racking, any SEMA approved racking inspector is qualified to inspect your racking, as all SEMA approved racking inspectors are qualified to inspect pallet racking.
Cantilever Racking Inspection Regulations
While HSE racking inspection regulation do not differentiate between SEMA approved racking inspectors who are qualified to inspect pallet racking and those who are qualified to inspect cantilever racking, SEMA does. It offers an extension course for SEMA approved racking inspectors (people who are already qualified to inspect pallet racking) to become SEMA approved cantilever racking inspectors.
Only 36 people in the world have passed this qualification, and our SEMA approved racking inspector is one of them. Using an expert cantilever inspector is not a HSE racking inspection regulation, but HSE does trust SEMA on matters relating to racking safety specifically.
In SEMA’s eyes, only cantilever racking inspectors are qualified to inspect cantilever racking. At Storage Equipment Experts, we agree with SEMA on this front.
Expert Racking Inspection Regulations
HSE recommends expert racking inspections from a SEMA approved racking inspector at least once a year. They make this stance because of SEMA’s long history of being an authority when it comes to storage equipment. This is why SEMA helped the EU and HSE to write the law on how load notices should be formatted.
Staff-Led Racking Inspection Regulations
HSE racking inspection regulations recommend staff-led racking inspection to be performed regularly, using the traffic light inspection system. Under this system, green indicates no damage. Amber indicates that there is damage and the system needs to be immediately repaired and offloaded as soon as possible in the next four weeks. Red indicates that there is damage and that the system needs to be offloaded and repaired immediately.
The people performing these staff-led racking inspections should be competent. The need for competence in any task at your warehouse is outlined in the CDM regulations and it’s for this reason that we offer racking inspection training.
Racking Inspection Regulations in Ireland and the EU
HSA echoes most of this advice in its brief statement on warehouse safety. There, it refers to HSE’s HSG76. With that in mind, following racking inspection regulations for the UK will likely put you on the right side of the law in Ireland as well. This is also true of the rest of the EU, where HSE’s advice is echoed by this EU directive. It’s likely for this reason that there are several SEMA approved inspectors across Ireland and the EU.
Warehouse Rules for Employees
Employees in warehouses need to follow the pallet racking inspection regulations of the business they are working in. While following the advice of HSE will usually put a business on the correct side of the law, warehouse owners are free to take other actions.
As such, it is important to outline warehouse rules for employees clearly. Do you perform staff racking inspections once a week, twice a week, or once a day (as is recommended in Canada)? Racking inspection regulations of this sort will differ from business to business. If you are a warehouse owner, consider talking to a racking inspection regulation expert to figure out the best warehouse rules for your particular employees.
