In terms of storage, pallet racks provide the best solution for easy maintenance. They are the most common way of storing palletized goods in the world, and they are used in most warehouses, production facilities, commercial operations and even stores. Whether you are dealing with selective, push-back, push-in, or other types of racks, the problem is usually the same.
1) Do not climb the pallet rack
Each of us is busy from time to time (especially in a warehouse environment with a lot of trouble). In order to save time, people sometimes crawl on the pallet rack to take orders or do other things. When using floor pallets, busy pickers may climb up and get the boxes they need, but this is extremely dangerous. Shelves are not suitable for climbing; their planks may be broken, nails protruding, and hot stingers, they may yield under a person’s weight, or puncture a hand to find the roof.
2) Don’t overload
Knowing the capacity of the pallet rack before loading is very important to ensure the safety of workers. For example, if your pallet is not designed for heavy objects, then collapse is inevitable. Make sure your shelf can withstand the load, especially at higher levels (if you can’t see the weight on the shelf, check the manufacturer’s specifications). Even better, store the heaviest cargo in a lower compartment or floor. Place storage space so that when mixed loads, the lightest tray is in the high bay and the heavier tray is in the lower bay.
3) Avoid damaging the pallet rack
Preventing and reducing damage to the pallet rack includes training the forklift in the correct driving and loading procedures, limiting the speed of the forklift, keeping the warehouse tidy, expanding the aisle, conducting regular rack inspections, ensuring that the beam clamps are fixed, and so on. Also pay attention to the environment of the rack.
4) Don’t ignore the relationship between height and depth
When designing pallet racks, people tend to pay attention to simple components (capacity of beams, capacity of a pair of beams, etc.) to ensure a safe and reliable rack system. But there is another factor that many people don’t understand and often overlook: the relationship between height and depth.
The Rack Manufacturers Association (RMI) defines the height-to-depth ratio of a rack row as “the ratio of the distance from the floor to the top beam to the depth of the rack”-the ratio cannot exceed 6-1.
5) Avoid wrong or unsafe rack loading
The load of the pallet rack is not only the structural weight. When the load is on the bearing housing, the size, shape and size/density of the load is absolutely crucial for safe and efficient storage. To avoid incorrect or unsafe rack loading, it is important to consider not only the weight, but also the type of load that should be placed on the cable platform, the location of the load, and how it affects the capacity.