Which Racking Inspection Courses Do I Need?

Racking inspection courses come in all shapes and sizes, but which one is right for you and which one do you need?

Depending on what you plan on doing in the world of warehouse safety, you may need to a racking inspection course. Of course, in some cases, it might be highly recommended and, in other cases, it might simply be a good thing to have. We’re going to break down who needs racking inspection course (and, if so, which ones) and who racking inspection courses are recommended for (and, if so, which ones).

What Kind of Racking Inspection Courses Are There?

Broadly speaking, there are three kinds:

The SEMA Approved Inspector Qualification, which is a course run by SEMA. This course is specifically designed to train and authorise SEMA approved racking inspectors (SARIs).
Private racking inspection courses run by SEMA approved racking inspectors (SARIs) themselves. These courses tend to be designed for warehouse owners and their employees.
Private racking inspection courses run by self-appointed “experts”. We would not recommend these courses to anyone.

Ignoring the third kind of racking inspection course out of hand, the first and second kind of courses are the ones that most people mean when they refer to racking inspection courses.

The first kind of course is needed by people who want to become SEMA approved racking inspectors. Being a SEMA approved racking inspector is a full-time job and requires a lot of hard work. However, if you want to become one, this is the racking inspection course you will need.

The second kind of course is for owners and users of pallet racking systems and provides training to ensure that the racking is maintained safely. This is why we and HSE both highly recommend it.

HSE & Racking Inspection Courses Run By SEMA Approved Racking Inspectors

In HSE’s HSG76, it recommends inspections from a SEMA approved racking inspector at least once a year. It also recommends that businesses perform regular, staff-led inspections. In HSE’s eyes, these staff-led inspections are best performed by the business’ PRRS (person responsible for racking safety). HSE doesn’t define “technically competent” — that is the responsibility of the warehouse owner — but they do identify SEMA approved racking inspectors as “experts”.

It is our belief that a racking inspection course from an expert (a SEMA approved racking inspector) would be enough to make someone technically competent enough to carry out regular racking inspections. What is more, we believe that — for consistency’s sake — it’s best if the technically competent staff member performing these regular inspections is trained by the same SEMA approved racking inspector who performs the business’ yearly inspections.

This is evidently the belief of many other businesses, too, which is why so many SEMA approved racking inspectors offer racking inspection courses. However, there are many reasons why the racking inspection course from Storage Equipment Experts is by far the best.

Businesses Across The UK & Ireland Should Take Storage Equipment Experts’ Racking Inspection Course

It’s run by one of the only SEMA approved racking inspectors to have also passed the SEMA cantilever racking inspection course. This means our SARI is an expert in pallet racking safety and cantilever racking safety.
It’s highly recommended.
We cover the whole of the UK and Ireland.
Our SEMA approved racking inspector is an all-round health and safety expert who has written for a wide variety of publications.
We are based near London and, as a result, our office is extremely easy to access from anywhere in the UK or Ireland.
We have performed racking inspections and have taught racking inspection courses to Pinewood Studios, the Tate Modern, Smiffy’s, Hayden’s Bakery and Dunlop among many, many others.
We specialise in inspecting a wide variety of racking inspection brands, such as PSS, Link 51, Dexion, Schaefer and plenty more.
We provide a free racking inspection safety checklis t.

Now you know why we’re the best, contact Storage Equipment Experts today for racking inspection courses and racking inspections from a SEMA approved racking inspector.

Rack Inspection Training and Mechanical Handling

Warehouse safety is a complete system which requires pallet racking safety as well as mechanical handling safety in order to function.

A safe warehouse is like a well-oiled machine. This means that every part needs to work safely and efficiently with every other part. You cannot ignore other elements of warehouse safety and you cannot view one aspect of warehouse safety in isolation. It’s for this reason that it is vital to know about how pallet racking safety interacts with mechanical handling safety.

However, before that happens, it’s important to define terms.

What Is Pallet Racking Safety?

Pallet racking safety consists of all the procedures, whether those are legal requirements from HSE or recommendations from SEMA, which are concerned with making pallet racking safer.

These procedures include proper installation, proper use, regular inspections from an outside expert, regular inspections from staff members, and rack inspection training to make sure that staff members can perform these internal inspections. As well as all that, warehouse owners are required to repair and/or replace a racking system when necessary.

What Is Mechanical Handling Safety?

Industrial trucks, tractors, forklifts, conveyors; mechanical handling refers to moving anything around warehouse using any of these pieces of technology. Mechanical handling safety refers to all the procedures outlined by HSE, both in HSG76 and in LOLER 1998, which are concerned with making mechanical handling safer.

These procedures vary depending on the type of mechanical handling equipment you’re referring to. As with racking, most equipment requires inspection and users should never exceed the recommended guidelines. What’s more, it’s vital to make sure that you are using equipment which is cleared for usage in the EU. This is true of health and safety in general. However, with mechanical equipment being used in a confined space in combination with other mechanical equipment, it’s especially important.

When Should You Consider Mechanical Handling Safety & Racking Safety Together?

Ideally, you should consider the two kinds of safety together at all times. However, because the two disciplines are often separated by different professions (a SEMA approved racking inspector, for example, is not qualified to inspect a forklift truck) it can be difficult to think of the two safety protocols alongside each other. Still, don’t feel too bad; a lot of research suggests that all humans are terrible at multitasking.

Yet, with our handy ‘cheat sheet’, you won’t need to multitask. You can focus on table to know exactly what HSE recommends you do when these two different safety disciplines interact:

#	Situation	Racking Safety Considerations	Mechanical Handling Safety Considerations
1	Driving an industrial truck, lift truck, or tow tractor in bad light.	You might crash or bump into your storage system, damaging your racking. If so, your system would require an immediate inspection from a SEMA approved racking inspector and be immediately offloaded.	Be sure to add lights to your truck or tractor as a precaution for if you ever happen to be driving it in bad light. Better yet, improve the overall lighting of the warehouse.
2	Driving an industrial truck, lift truck, or tow tractor through an aisle with racking systems either side.	The narrow space could damage your racking systems. However, the issues to consider here are likely to be unique to your warehouse. As such, HSE recommends “site-specific control measures” which, in turn, means a risk assessment.	The narrow space could damage your vehicle. Once again, you will need “site-specific control measures” to tackle this particular issue.
3	Driving an industrial truck, lift truck, or tow tractor over an uneven floor.	An uneven floor could cause you to temporarily lose control and crash or bump into your storage system. If that does happen, the same advice from #1 follows.	Never use a vehicle if the unevenness of the floor exceeds the recommendations of the manufacturer. Perform regular checks of the floor for unevenness.
4	Using a truck to lift storage onto a racking system.	As before, there are the usual concerns with damaging the racking system, but it’s also important the racking system isn’t overloaded. Follow the manufacturer’s instructions in this case.	Be sure to lower the load onto the racking system *as soon as the load is clear of the racking*. Don’t create unnecessary risk by lifting the load higher than needed. Also, be sure to make sure that anyone operating the truck keeps constant, two-handed control of the vehicle to prevent any possibility that they might get trapped in between the vehicle and the storage system.

Rack Inspection Training: You Can Never Be Too Safe

Our rack inspection training course covers the many, many aspects of racking inspection safety and how they interact with the rest of the warehouse. A racking inspection training course is a great way for staff members to learn about warehouse safety as a whole discipline, rather than simply one particular aspect of it.

Rack inspection training course is the perfect way to piece together all of the individual parts safely into one complex discipline.

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Pallet Racking Inspection Training and Work At Height

a man looking up at a tall warehouse racking

Pallet racking inspection training is one of the many safety procedures warehouse owners should follow. Working at height safety is another.

When working at height, it’s important to be aware of your surroundings and the potential dangers around you. One such danger might be that you ignore racking safety, so it’s important to consider the two safety disciplines together.

In order to do that, though, the definition of terms is vital.

Pallet Racking Safety Is…

Pallet racking safety refers to any kind of procedure designed to make pallet racking — and its use — safer. In the UK, the official safety procedures most relevant to pallet racking come from HSE and SEMA. These safety procedures include pallet racking inspection training, among other things. Pallet racking inspection training and pallet racking inspections in Ireland are not directly recommended by HSA, but there is an informal recommendation.

Work At Height Safety Is…

According to HSE’s HSG76, “work in any place, including above or below ground level, where someone could fall and injure themselves” counts as work at height. In the UK, the Work at Height Regulations 2005 outlines in full an employer’s legal responsibility when asking their staff to work at height. This includes, for example, making sure that people using a mobile elevating work platform (MEWP) are either trained themselves or are supervised by a trained person.

Considering Pallet Racking Safety & Work at Height Safety Together

Pallet racking inspection training covers a whole range of procedures for ensuring pallet racking safety through inspections. However, inevitably, the course cannot cover everything. If it did, then HSE would not also recommend annual racking inspections from an expert (such as a SEMA approved racking inspector).

While you should always bear the whole warehouse in mind when thinking about safety, it’s often difficult to consider pallet racking safety and work at height safety at the same time. There are only a handful of specific situations when the two kinds of safety do need to be considered together, though it’s still important to be prepared for said situations.

It’s because of all of this that we have prepared a cheat sheet for the situations when racking safety and work at height safety should be considered together and what you should do in those situations.

#	Situation	Racking Safety Considerations	Work At Height Safety Considerations
1	Items falling from racking	Items should be stored properly. While this often means not overloading a racking system, it also means making sure that things are stacked properly and are placed securely. To make sure this happens, always follow the manufacturer’s advice and follow the guidelines for storage set out in the Storage systems chapter of HSG76.	The Work at Height Regulations 2005 spells this out as law: “Every employer shall, where necessary to prevent injury to any person, take suitable and sufficient steps to prevent, so far as is reasonably practicable, the fall of any material or object.” This section of the law goes on to explain what employers are legally obliged to do to prevent injury from falling objects.
2	Climbing on racking which is not designed for climbing	In short, don’t do it. However, if someone does climb on it (even though they definitely shouldn’t have) the person responsible for racking safety (PRRS) should immediately check for damage. If there is any visible damage, immediately offload the system and book a racking inspection from a SEMA approved inspector.	Once again, don’t do it.
3	Climbing on racking which is designed for climbing	Unless it is specifically designed for the purpose of being climbed on, you shouldn’t climb on racking. Even if the racking system is designed to be climbed on, be sure to follow the manufacturer’s instruction and don’t add too much weight to the system. If the system appears damaged after it’s been used, immediately offload the system and book a racking inspection from a SEMA approved inspector.	If racking is designed for climbing, follow the same advice for working on a ladder. Keep three points of contact, don’t overstretch, etc. Even if racking is specifically designed for the express purpose of being climbed on, do not climb from an elevated working platform into a racking system.

If you want a better understanding of rack safety, Storage Equipment Experts.
Pallet racking inspection training course will outline all the information and procedures that HSE recommends.

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Do My Staff Need to Take the SEMA Racking Inspection Training Course?

The SEMA racking inspection training course is a program run by SEMA which is designed to give people the ability to become SEMA approved racking inspectors (SARIs).

“Do my staff need to take SEMA’s racking inspection training course?”

The short answer is no.

But why is that? Why wouldn’t you want your staff to receive the SEMA racking inspection training course?

The SEMA Racking Inspection Training Course is Designed for Future SEMA Approved Racking Inspectors

The racking inspection training course is a course run by SEMA itself in order to help those with a background in structural engineering or similar pursue a new career. People who pass this course become qualified SEMA approved racking inspectors (SARI). As of right now, there are only 93 SEMA approved racking inspectors.

If a member of your staff wants to become the 94th SEMA approved racking inspector, that is a serious commitment and — more than that — it’s a career in of itself. In fact, in order to maintain their SARI status, they will need to perform a certain number of racking inspections as SEMA approved racking inspector every year.

Added to all this, SEMA approved racking inspectors are expected to attend a set amount of seminars and conferences in order to keep their knowledge up to date. In short, being a SEMA approved racking inspector requires a lot of time, money, and effort.

The SEMA racking inspection training course is a great thing as it creates racking inspection experts, but it’s also a gateway to a new career. It’s only something that an employee would want or need if they no longer wanted to work for your company.

HSE Recommend that Staff Perform Racking Inspections Once a Week. So Where Can My Staff Get Racking Inspection Training?

If you want your staff to be able to perform the sort of weekly racking inspections which HSE recommends, look no further than right here. Our racking inspection training course is run by a SEMA approved racking inspector. This means that your staff will be able to inspect warehouse racking according to SEMA guidelines without the time and cost of sending them on a three-day racking inspection training course. Our course lasts just one day and will give your staff all the knowledge they need in order to perform weekly racking inspections, as per HSE’s guidance.

Storage Equipment Experts’ racking inspection services are critically acclaimed by a long list of great British and Irish businesses. To name but a few, White Stuff, Smiffys, and the Tate Modern all recommend Storage Equipment Experts.

5 More Reasons to Get Racking Inspection Training from Storage Equipment Experts!

Just in case you’re not quite convinced, here are five more reasons to give your staff racking inspection training from our SEMA approved racking inspector…

Our SEMA approved racking inspectors are willing and very able to travel to anywhere in UK & Ireland quickly and easily.
Our SEMA approved racking inspectors have produced countless articles on the subject of warehouses safety, rack safety, and health and safety in general — all of which means that he knows his industry inside out.
Our SEMA approved racking inspectors are qualified by SEMA to inspect both adjustable pallet racking and cantilever racking; there are only 34 people which hold both of these qualifications.
Our racking inspection training course is available at the extremely competitive price of £225 + VAT per person.
We also offer a warehouse racking inspection checklist (written by SEMA approved racking inspectors) and an infographic detailing how to use the checklist… for free!

So what are you waiting for? Contact Storage Equipment Experts today for a quote on racking inspections from a SEMA approved inspector or for a racking inspection training courses.

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What is SEMA Racking Inspection Training?

Approved SEMA Racking Inspection Training

There is often some confusion over what exactly SEMA racking inspection training refers to. We’re here to clear that confusion up.

SEMA is shorthand for the Storage Equipment Manufacturer’s Association, and SEMA racking inspection training is racking inspection training delivered by a representative from SEMA and/or in accordance with SEMA guidelines. This vague, non-technical definition refers to a few different kinds of racking inspection training. Firstly, there is training from SEMA itself.

Training from SEMA

SEMA offers a variety of different training courses and all of them are for different purposes. Though by far the most highly-regarded course is the SEMA approved inspector qualification. This course is specifically aimed at those who wish to become a SEMA approved racking inspector (SARI) and want to inspect warehouse racking as a career. This is a kind of SEMA racking inspection training but it is not aimed at warehouse owners. Rather, it’s aimed at those who want a job in warehouse safety.

This kind of SEMA racking inspection training is important. It’s why HSE identifies people who have passed this course, SEMA approved racking inspectors, as racking inspection “experts”. Moreover, they recommend that a racking inspection expert like a SEMA approved racking inspector inspects your warehouse’s racking at least once a year.

Racking inspections run by a SEMA approved racking inspector is a service we offer. This is alongside our free pallet racking inspection checklist and racking inspection training. But what are the different types of racking inspection training courses available to owners and others that are responsible for the safety of racking systems?

SEMA Racking Inspection Training Vs. Racking Inspections by a SEMA Approved Racking Inspector Training

At Storage Equipment Experts, we too offer what is often refer to as SEMA racking inspection training. Course run by an experienced SEMA approved racking inspector and provides detailed and important information on HSE and SEMA guidelines.

However, for the sake of accuracy, it’s sometimes also known as racking inspection training. This is because our course is not run by SEMA itself. Rather, it is run by our SEMA approved racking inspectors and is tailored specifically for businesses and warehouse-owning organisations.

Our course is designed for the express purpose of making sure that warehouse owners and their staff know how to perform internal racking inspections as per HSE’s recommendations.

HSE states that staff should “receive training, information and instruction on the safe operation of the racking system” & “perform internal racking inspections on a regular” basis using a green, amber, and red inspection system. But who should provide this training? And why does your business need racking inspection training?

Racking Inspection Training by a SEMA Approved Inspector

According to HSE’s new CDM guidelines, it is up to the “client” to decide who is and who is not “technically competent”. The client is the person ultimately responsible for the safety of others in a workplace and, more often than not, this person is often the business owner. In the case of warehouse safety, the client either refers to the warehouse owner or the business owner — depending on the situation.

What this means for racking inspection training is that it is up to the business owner to decide whether or not their staff need training to deliver the internal racking inspections HSE recommends.

Our stance is that it’s better to be safe than sorry, and that in order to follow HSE’s guidance as closely as possible, every warehouse-owning organisation in the UK needs racking inspection training.

Racking inspection training delivered by someone who is not a SEMA approved inspector is problematic. After all, in order to call your staff “technically competent”. You would want them to be trained in racking inspection by someone who HSE has identified as a racking inspection “expert”.

This is why businesses that have received racking inspections by a SEMA approved inspector and racking inspection training from Storage Equipment Experts have so many good things to say. After all, it’s not just HSE that knows we’re racking inspection experts…

“Ideally suited for our needs” — Dunlop
“The highest standard, with engaging content undertaken at an easy pace… and it works” — Oasis Foods
“No hesitation in recommending their services for all racking inspection training needs” — Crossland Tankers
“Superb service” — Hymns Ancient & Modern
“From start to finish the service provided was excellent, I would definitely recommend Storage Equipment Experts” — Giesecke & Devrient
“Overall very good value. Thanks again from all at MAHLE” — MAHLE
“Fantastic work, could not recommend enough” — Daler-Rowney Limited

Professionalism, peace of mind, accuracy, authority, and service: that, along many other reasons, is why a racking inspection training course from Storage Equipment Experts is more than just your standard racking inspection training. And there are many more great testimonials and reviews for our racking inspection training as well.

So for critically-acclaimed racking inspection training courses, delivered by a racking inspection expert, look no further than right here! Contact Storage Equipment Experts today.

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SEE Offer the Biggest Range of Racking Inspections Services in the UK!

Racking Inspections Services offered by SEE in the UK

From rack safety inspection checklists to pallet racking inspections training, Storage Equipment Experts offers the most diverse range of racking inspection services anywhere in the country.

There are many different racking inspection services in the UK, but only ours offers such a large range of services at such a high quality and reasonable price. In fact, the cheapest services we provide are completely free!

A Warehouse Racking Inspection Checklist and a Blog Full of Information on Racking Safety… For Free!

One of the best value for money racking inspection services we offer is right here. The Storage Equipment Experts blog is an invaluable resource for anyone with any quick — but important — questions about racking inspections, warehouse safety law, and racking systems themselves. We offer answers to all the possible questions a warehouse owner might have.

More than that, our warehouse racking inspection checklist is also available at the extremely competitive price of absolutely nothing! Your racking inspection checklist is the first step towards racking safety. Though it definitely shouldn’t be the only step…

Racking Inspection Services from a SEMA Approved Racking Inspector

At the heart of our racking inspection services are the racking inspections by a SEMA approved inspector we offer from our very own SEMA approved racking inspector (SARI). HSE recommends that warehouses receive an “expert” racking inspection from an independent racking inspection company at least once a year. HSE cite SEMA approved racking inspectors as an example of an organisation which certifies racking inspectors as experts.

In line with HSE’s advice, this is exactly the kind of racking inspection service we offer. No matter where your business is in the UK, we can promise to deliver a racking inspection by SEMA approved inspector for your warehouse to make sure that your company is on the right side of HSE.

Racking Inspection Training Services from a SEMA Approved Racking Inspector

A SEMA approved racking inspector can do more than just deliver racking inspection training; they can educate others on how to perform racking inspections themselves. This is another service that we offer at Storage Equipment Experts.

As per HSE’s advice, we believe that all businesses should be able to perform their own internal racking inspections on a regular basis alongside annual inspections from an independent racking inspection company. However, in order for staff and employers to be able to do this, we recommend using our free racking inspection checklist alongside our well-acclaimed racking inspection training.

Our customers state that our racking inspection services have helped to give their staff the confidence and the knowledge to inspect racking themselves. Confidence and knowledge are key. Without knowledge to inform your confident predictions, or the confidence to voice your knowledge, racking inspections are not the thorough safety routines that they should be.

Top 5 Different Kinds of Racking Inspection Training

Racking inspection training is integral to all businesses with storage systems, and so finding the course that’s right for your business is vital. If you don’t, you could wind up paying for it in the long run with accidents, damages, and smaller profits. So here is our guide to the five different kinds of racking inspections training.

1. HSE Guides to Racking Safety

HSE offers plenty of information for those who want to learn more about racking safety, but does this qualify as racking inspection training? Only in the vaguest sense. The information that OSHA and HSE offer is authoritative, but it is only meant to serve as an introduction to the topic. HSE offer tips on racking inspection, detailing a traffic light system for checks, but this is only training at its most basic.

2. Online Videos on Racking Safety

There are some great videos on safety training out there, such as this one on respiratory protection training, but racking inspection requires too much knowledge to be covered in a single video. We at Storage Equipment Experts have offered a brief video introduction to the topic, but no one video can fully prepare a member of staff to sufficiently inspect your storage systems.

3. Mandatory in Work Training

Employees are bound by law to offer a certain level of training to employees working in certain professions. However, this bare minimum amount of training rarely covers things as detailed as how to perform a racking inspection. Even if it did, it would not be enough to prepare employees properly for that task. Rather, for employees who work with racking, HSE recommends training that specifically explains what safe and unsafe racking is.

To stay within the law, employees need to be prepare to give more training for those who need it. The person responsible for racking safety (PRRS) should be “technically competent”. All of this is to say that giving your employees a thirty-minute one-off lecture on safety in general does not qualify as racking inspection training. Racking inspection training requires expertise, detail and time. At Storage Equipment Experts, we are proud to offer all three.

4. The Storage Equipment Experts Blog

For experts who want to brush up on their racking safety knowledge, for those interested in the topic, or for those who want a brief introduction to racking safety, our blog is a great source of information. Updated five times a month, the Storage Equipment Experts blog covers many of the things that affect racking inspection training and racking safety. Yet, as authoritative and as detailed as this information can be, it is still not quite enough to get your employees past HSE’s threshold of “technically competent”.

5. Face-to-Face Racking Inspection Training

It should really come as no surprise to discover that the best kind of racking inspections training happens face-to-face. In an intimate seminar setting, a proper full day course offers plenty of opportunities to go into detail. At Storage Equipment Experts, we have been praise for the level of detail that our course goes into. Upon using our service, a representative from Dunlop said that the course was “thorough and concise, ensuring all key points [were] covered”.

The time and space to explain racking inspection in depth is something that can only be offer by racking inspections training that occurs at a face-to-face course.

Supplementary videos and online guides serve as good introductions to the topic, but nothing can replicate the confidence generate in your staff by racking inspections training from a SEMA-approved racking inspector.

At Storage Equipment Experts, our passion for the industry helps us to deliver the best racking inspections training course in the UK.

Take your racking inspection knowledge to the next level with racking inspection training from the UK’s foremost SEMA approved racking inspector.

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Which Racking Inspection Courses Do I Need?