How to Stack Pallets Safely, According to a Safety Expert?

Knowing how to stack pallets safely is an essential skill for running a warehouse safety.

If run a warehouse or even if you run a business which deals with distribution and storage, you’ll likely have to deal with a lot of pallets. As such, you will need to know how to stack pallets safely. It sounds like a simple enough task, but there are a few common mistakes which business owners make.

Does HSE Have Advice on How to Stack Pallets Safely?

HSE has a lot of information on pallet safety in general, and stacking pallets is covered. Its guide to pallet safety is not a legal document, but it does refer to two laws: the Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998 (PUWER) and the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999.

Following HSE’s guidance will likely mean that you are doing enough to adhere to those two pieces of legislation.

In this article, we’ve collected the advice from HSE’s document which is most relevant to stacking pallets specifically. When in doubt, businesses should follow HSE guidance. This article provides a quick guide to the key practices for stacking pallets safely.

How to Stack Pallets Safely With Five Easy Steps

1. Stack like with like

Pallets play a vital role in global trade. The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) sets standards for pallet sizes and dimensions, which helps businesses transport goods efficiently.

Standardized pallets make international shipping easier. For example, businesses can move goods from South Korea to South Africa without worrying about different pallet requirements.

This system offers major benefits, but it also has limitations. Pallet sizes and dimensions only follow broad standards. Some warehouse and business owners overlook these differences and stack pallets together regardless of their shape or size. This practice can create safety risks and damage goods.

For obvious reasons, this is not how to stack pallets safely. The safe way to stack pallets of different sizes and dimensions is to separate them into piles which all contain the same kind of pallet. However, you need to be more thorough than that. Plastic needs to be stacked with plastic, metal with metal, and wood with wood for the ideal system.

2. Don’t Lean Pallets on Their Sides

Stack pallets vertically, one directly on top of another. Their design supports this stacking method. As such, stacking a pallet on its side means running counter to the manufacturer’s intentions. Doing so means that you — not the manufacturer — are responsible in the instance of injury.

Injuries are indeed likely to happen to happen when pallets are stacked on their side. Removing one for use could cause another to fall, or someone could trip on a pallet stacked awkwardly. For more information about the latter, refer to HSE’s guidance document on preventing slips, trips, and falls.

3. Make Sure You Stack Pallets at the Right Height

Knowing how to stack pallets safely depends on who you ask. In the United States, OSHA lays out detailed recommendations on how high a stack of pallets should be. However, in the UK, HSE defers to the manufacturer. Even still, it’s general guidance is that the height of your stack should not exceed the length of the base. In other words, if your stack resembles a cube, you’ve reached your upper limit. If it resembles a tower, it’s already far too high.

4. Never Use Damaged Pallets

This may seem obvious under PUWER 1998, but businesses can easily overlook pallets. Pallets aren’t the goods themselves, so teams may ignore minor damage. However, damaged pallets can create safety risks and should not go back into service. Always remove damaged pallets from use.

Like all work equipment, pallets need regular inspections. HSE recommends checking pallets after every delivery. PUWER 1998 also requires inspections when work equipment could suffer damage. Since deliveries can damage pallets, inspect them after every delivery. Remove any damaged pallets from use.

Damaged pallets should be repaired if possible. If not, they should be disposed of and the materials recycled.

5. Don’t Forget About Your Pallet Racking

As a final word of advice, be sure not to forget about pallet racking. Knowing how to stack pallets safely is important, but your pallet racking should also be safe. Without well-maintained and regularly inspected pallet racking, even the best stacked pallets could be unsafe.

HSE recommends regular inspections performed by warehouse staff and inspections every 12 months from an expert, such as a SEMA approved racking inspector. For the former, Storage Equipment Experts performs racking inspection training at a training centre in London or at your workplace anywhere in the UK or Ireland!

Storage Equipment Experts also provides racking inspections by SEMA approved racking inspectors for businesses across the UK and Ireland.

To book your racking inspection or training run by a SEMA approved racking inspector, contact Storage Equipment Experts today.

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