Nimonik knows that pallet racks, although crucial to the logistics of you operations, are often overlooked at your facilities. A collapsing rack can not only kill staff, it can damage inventory, cause delays and reduce profitability, hence the importance of properly inspecting and maintaining your racks frequently. In this presentation, Rack Net-Works’ Principle Engineer and Lead Rack Inspector, Tony Mulholland and Brian Rusciolelli, cover a range of elements pertaining to the inspection of racks. This webinar covers various types of racking, the standards ensuring rack safety, the process of inspection and how to ensure that racks are not overloaded.

1. Rack Safety
& Compliance
Tony Mulholland
&
Brian Rusciolelli

2. Kim Chanel Vallée-Séguin
Communications Manager, Nimonik
Brian Rusciolelli
Lead Rack Inspector, Rack-Net-Works
Tony Mulholland P.Eng.
Principle Engineer, Rack-Net-Works

3. • Terminology and introduction to storage racking
• Briefly introduce the various types of racking and
their vulnerabilities
• Understand the Standards and how often racks
need to be inspected (frequency)
• Describing the process of inspection and how to
respond
• Capacity and ensuring racks are not overloaded
Rack Safety & Compliance Agenda

4. Rack Safety & Compliance:
Components of Racking
Row Spacer
Beam
Bracket
Beam
Section
Post
Protector
Diagonal
Brace
Horizontal
Brace
Post/Column
Post/Column

5. Rack Safety & Compliance:
Components of Racking
Baseplate/Shims
Post
Protector
Diagonal
Brace
Horizontal
Brace
Post/upright/
column
Anchor

6. • Most common type of pallet rack
• Rack is arranged in a single or a
series of rows such that every
pallet loaded on the rack faces
an aisle
• Common damage: front post in
the lower 5’
• Collapse: rare, except for single
rows (10 times as likely than a
connected row)
Rack Safety & Compliance:
Vulnerabilities of Selective Rack

7. • Tunnel use for passage of lift truck to
place pallets on rails
• Rails run the length of the tunnel on both
sides and support pallets on their edge
• Damage: rear frames and lower 8’ of all
uprights
• Collapse: prone, especially if no transverse
bracing
Rack Safety & Compliance
Vulnerabilities of Drive In Racks

8. • Similar to selective rack except
beam levels support a system of
tracks and carts that allow the
pallets to be moved to the rear.
• Damage: typically lower front post –
carts can get hung up if not
maintained
• Collapse: rare
Rack Safety & Compliance
Vulnerabilities of Push Back Racks

9. • Rack usually consists of column
with perpendicular arms used to
support long items
• Damage: arms by dropping loads
• Collapse: rare, unless constructed in-
house
Rack Safety & Compliance
Vulnerabilities of Drive In Racks

10. • ANSI MH16.1 – Racking Manufacturers
Institute (RMI)
• European EN15635 – European Committee
for Standardization
• CSA – A344 Canadian Standards
Association
• prime reference in Canada
• Meets or exceed most of the
requirements of RMI & EN
• Today we will refer to A344 – 2016 even
though it is not formally approved yet
Rack Safety & Compliance
Regulations & Requirements

11. • CSA A344 – clause 8.1.9 calls for
routine inspections (typically
monthly) as well as ‘expert
inspections’.
• “Expert inspections are typically
done under the supervision of a
professional engineer, with the
engineer taking responsibility for
the damage inspection process
and reporting.
CSA A344 - clause 8.1.5
addresses frequency inspections.
The expert establishes the
frequency of inspections based on
a risk analysis.
Rack Safety & Compliance
Regulations & Requirements

12. • Damage comes in many forms and each situation can be
unique – not easy to evaluate severity
• We use a method based on the CSA and European Rack
Standard – and call it the RAG method (Red Amber
Green)
• When doing expert inspections we also use engineering
judgment to set the limit of structural imperfection
Rack Safety & Compliance
Inspection Methods – RAG

13. • Damaged is measured over
500mm or 20” (not 1000mm
as in the EN standard)
• Items in the chart are not all
in the EN guideline and can
vary from site to site
• Example of recognizing
structural vulnerability is :
• 4 mm on diagonal brace of
single row is more conservative
than 5 mm on connected row
Rack Safety & Compliance
Damage Severity

14. • CSA A344 requires the expert to establish the damage limits for a
particular site or structure
• Additional parameters can come into play that are specific to site,
such as out of plumb, twisted posts, beam damage, etc.
• The charts below illustrate how these limits can be established for a
site
Rack Safety & Compliance
Damage Severity

15. • Each damage requires a response, using the RAG Method this chart illustratesappropriate responses:
• Classifyingand Tagging items as Red Amber Green sets up Immediate Action
• Immediate Action – unloading/locking out of service, avoid loading if possible, monitor for further
damage
• Corrective Action is a secondary decision that deals with the repair or other remedial action
Rack Safety & Compliance
Responding to Damages
FIND ITEM
CLASSIFY & TAG
RED
AMBER
GREEN
UNLOAD
AVOID LOADING IF POSSIBLE
REVISE PRACTICES OR
TRAIN
ONLY REQUIRES FUTURE
MONITORING
HAZARD RESOLVED
REPAIR OR REPLACE
FIND | CLASSIFY | DETERMINE IMMEDIATE ACTION | SPECIFY CORRECTIVE ACTION | CLOSE OUT

16. • RAG Method requires inspection items be treated with a multi-stage RESPONSE:
• Categorize & Tag items as Red Amber Green thereby setting up Immediate Action
• Immediate Action – specify immediately put out of service, corrective action required,
may require corrective action – monitor
• Corrective Action - a secondary decision that deals with remediation and prevention
Rack Safety & Compliance
Responding to Damages
FIND
ITEM
CATAGORIZE &
TAG
RED
AMBER
GREEN
immediate danger
immediately put out of service
seek guidance as per clause 8.2.1.3.
remediation required
may remain in service
corrective action is required
REVISE PRACTICES OR
TRAIN
minor deficiencies
may require repair, column
protection, and/or modified
operating practice
& monitor to ensure the condition does not worsen
CLOSE OUT
HAZARD
RESOLVED
REPAIR OR REPLACE
FIND CLASSIFY IMPLEMENT IMMEDIATE ACTION SPECIFY CORRECTIVE ACTION CLOSE OUT
bad operating practice
instruct the operators

17. • We recommend severity be represented by numbers 1 to 9
as it allows what is in effects “shades” of each color
1-3 GREEN 4-6 AMBER 7-9 RED
• The numbers are essentially a RISK index - a relationship
between probability and consequence
Rack Safety & Compliance
Assessing Damages
high 4-­6 7-­8 9 9
moderate 4-­6 4-­6 7-­8 9
low 2-­3 4-­6 4-­6 7-­8
minimal 1 2-­3 4-­6 4-­6
minor significant critical catastrophic
Probability
or
Likelihood
Consequence

18. • CSA A344, clause 8.2 - The engineer supervising the expert
inspections should establish time guidelines for corrective
action
• The chart below is how severity can be assessed a response
time
Rack Safety & Compliance
Assessing Damages

19. Total Unloading Partial or Center-to-center off loading
Rack Safety & Compliance
Unloading Types
• CSA and EN both require unloading if RED
• EN standard has special requirements on AMBER – do not reload
• There are two types of unloading (total and partial)

20. • CSA A344.1 clause 8.2.2 calls for method to clearly identify
rack that is unsafe by “marking or tagging”
• Below is one way to tag out a level or bay
Rack Safety & Compliance
Marking Damaged Racks

21. Rack Safety & Compliance
Case Study – Training and Monitoring
• Racks inspected, plus employees
were trained on Rack Awareness and
Inspection
• Damage immediately was reduced -­
inspections continued
• Damage began to increase
• Additional training was provided and
again damage incidents decreased
• Big gains -­ Increase in safety, and
decrease in maintenance
• Inspection and training is a cost saver
206
85
34
87
102
29
0
50
100
150
200
250
2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015
number of recorded deficiencies

22. • CSA clause 7.3 - the weight of loads placed in the racks must not
exceed the load capacity of the rack structure
Rack Safety & Compliance
Capacity Signage
• Clause 7.3.1.2 - Load plaque need to include a reference to documents
that establish the maximum permissible loading
• The method used should be selected based on the
nature of the facility, and achieved by:
• use of warehouse management software (WMS)
• load plaques & awareness of the weight of the
pallets
• trained operators using approved storage
procedures
• insuring the capacity of the rack can support the
heaviest pallet in the facility

23. PLANNING YOUR NEXT STEPS
1. Arrange to have an inspection done by an expert third party
2.
Ensure the capacity of racks is formally established by an engineer &
review documents to ensure they are up to date
3.
Set up a program to have staff conduct monthly inspections and
ensure they are trained to do so
4.
Make arrangements for having the damaged racks repaired or
replaced. If repaired, ensure repairs are formally approved
5.
Implement the recommendations of the Expert inspection (frequency
of inspection, documentation, response time, damage limits)

24. For more information
www.nimonik.com
1-888-608-7511
info@nimonik.com