Safety Assessment

Over time, a storage system can accumulate damage through employee error, environmental influences and general use. These safety hazards often may be left unnoticed or given a substandard quick fix that may not hold up in the long run. In order to avoid such hazardous, it is necessary to assess and address whether portions of a racking system require maintenance or represent a safety concern.

On the lookout
Records management companies may want to hire a life safety and remediation specialist periodically to conduct a survey of their facility racking and to provide a detailed list of safety risks within their systems. Remediation specialists can be found through companies that supply or install storage systems. These specialists will asses safety concerns such as:

• Rack/shelving damage;
• Component safety locks;
• Anchor tightness;
• Shelf deck integrity;
• Capacity overload situations;
• Fall protection issues;
• Trip hazards; and
• Structural deficiencies.

The life safety and remediation specialist also should determine areas where safety protection components are missing. Examples of areas that should be checked and components to include are:

• End of aisle rails;
• Down aisle rails;
• Column protectors;
• Netting protection;
• Kick plates; and
• Handrails.

After identifying areas that require remediation, the safety and remediation specialist can offer solutions and repair services to make your system safer.

Be Vigilant
Commercial records center personnel also should conduct regular inspections to ensure that racking systems are safe and efficient. Regular inspections of the safety protection components listed above are an important part of maintaining a safe and secure operation.

While there is no required frequency for conducting inspections, completing independent inspections monthly and bringing in a specialist once per year may suit many records management companies. Standard items that should be reviewed include:

Upright damage—Upright damage is common within a storage system. Impact from equipment such as forklift trucks is a major cause of this damage. To help avoid this, make sure that post protection is in place and that columns are properly anchored to the floor.

A safety inspection should identify any uprights in a racking system that require repair. If damage is found, repairs should be made immediately.

Rack repair is a viable option to restore damaged uprights in a system. Using post repair kits, a specialist can repair a damaged rack in place by removing the lower damaged portion of rack uprights and replacing them with a heavier, abuse-resistant column without having to remove the upper pallets from the rack. Most repairs can be completed in 30 minutes or less, and the new post will be stronger than the original upright frame.

Component safety locks and anchors—In order to maintain secure storage systems, anchors should be secure and component safety locks properly positioned and locked into place. If any safety locks are missing or damaged, they should be replaced immediately.

Fall protection—Providing adequate fall protection can prevent many misfortunes throughout the life of your system. For example, railing along open aisles as well as at the end of aisles that have drop-offs can help guide employees and equipment traveling through the system as well as protect them from falling. Kick plates also should be installed at all end-of-aisle conditions and throughout all main aisles.

If a pallet-drop area is used, fall protection that is installed, such as gates, guardrails or chains, should be secure and reliable. For instance, if safety chains are used, they should be taut. Similarly, all safeguards installed on stairways should be assessed. This includes handrails on stairways as well as guardrails and kick plates on stair landings.

Falling boxes not only pose a safety risk for employees but also compromise the integrity of your client’s stored materials. Safety netting and box stops are recommended as a safeguard. Fasteners on current netting should not missing, and the netting should be tightly drawn.

Shelving—Shelves should be examined for overload situations. This will be evident where significant curving in the shelf occurs. According to the Rack Manufacturers Institute (RMI), located in Charlotte, N.C., storage beams are allowed to deflect a maximum of L/180.

In addition, any hardware, such as bolts, connected to the shelving should be in-place and secure.

Egress paths—In an emergency, paths of egress will be relied upon to safely exit the racking system. For this reason, all paths of egress should be confirmed to be clear of obstructions.

All emergency lighting and signs leading to and indicating exits also should be confirmed to be operational and visible.

Trip hazards—Flooring surfaces must be flush so that they do not pose a tripping hazard. For instance, different sections of flooring should not overlap.

Upright damage, pictured left, can be caused by impact from equipment such as forklifts and weakens the frame of the structure. Specialists can use post repair kits to correct upright damage, pictured right. Repairs often can be completed in as little as 30 minutes.

Additionally, sufficient lighting should be installed (and working) in the aisles, under catwalk levels and at the ceiling level so that employees can travel safely through the system.

Stay Safe
Damage can occur in any records management company’s racking system. Being proactive and using regular system safety checkups is one practical way records center operators can help mitigate the potential risks associated with this damage. The examples presented here are just a few of the issues that a competent life safety and remediation specialist could detect and report to facility managers to begin the process of safeguarding a racking system and the people that work within it.

The author is marketing/sales administrator for Chicago-based REB Storage Systems International (www.rebsteel.com), a provider of records storage solutions and system safety and remediation services.