Ensuring personal safety and the safety of staff is crucial when working in an environment with cantilever racking structures. The only way to guarantee racking is safe is to make sure management and staff have a fundamental understanding of how to identify unsafe racking arms and know the appropriate actions to take when issues are detected. This guidance is particularly important for staff who work in close proximity to these structures regularly.
This guide has been developed to provide essential information and guidance on the safe operation and usage of cantilever racking arms. It offers practical instructions for detecting, classifying, and addressing faults or damage specific to cantilever racking arms.
While a cantilever racking system comprises several integral parts, the failure of racking arms has been specifically identified as the primary cause of incidents. This guide will focus exclusively on racking arms and provide users with fundamental knowledge on how to identify unsafe conditions and implement necessary corrective actions.
Please note this guide is not intended to replace a thorough and comprehensive inspection but is designed to supplement existing safety practices.
Informal racking inspections should be conducted by a competent staff member on a daily, weekly and monthly basis.
In Australia, formal qualifications are not mandatory for inspecting cantilever racking structures but the person conducting the inspection must be considered competent. Competence is typically determined by having relevant knowledge, experience.
In line with best practice, annual inspections (formal racking inspections) should be carried out by an external contractor, who is a competent, qualified and experienced.
Daily inspections:
Forklift operators should consistently monitor the correct use of racking during daily operations. Any observed damage or irregularities should be immediately reported to a supervisor. Common causes of damage include collisions with forklifts, overloading of arms, and improper placement of loads within the racking structure.
Weekly inspections:
Yard and warehouse personnel should conduct visual inspections from ground level on a weekly basis. Any identified risks, classified as Red or Orange, must be documented. Instances of Red Risk should be immediately addressed.
Monthly inspections:
Staff should conduct a comprehensive visual inspection of all racking levels, utilising appropriate equipment such as forklifts, work cages, or elevated work platforms (EWPs) to access both lower and upper levels. Additionally, a thorough inspection should involve clearing random bays of inventory to examine for any hidden or underlying issues. This ensures the identification of potential risks that are not visible during routine visual checks.
Annual inspections:
A competent external service provider should perform a comprehensive inspection annually, or immediately following any significant impact damage to the structure. This ensures that the integrity of the racking system is maintained and that any potential risks are identified and rectified in a timely manner.
Even minor damage to a racking arm can compromise its load-bearing capacity, potentially affecting the design safety factors and overall structural integrity.
When unloaded, a racking arm should appear straight, with little to no visible deflection. If permanent deflection is observed in an unloaded arm, it is a strong indicator that the arm has been either overloaded or impacted at some point.
The following colour-coded system—Green, Orange, and Red—are used to classify and manage risk in cantilever racking arms.
The racking arm shows deflection of less than 10mm in any direction and may have superficial marks or paint scratches but no significant physical damage or deformation. If the arm’s condition does not exceed the specified limits, it is considered safe for continued use.
Such instances of minor damage should be documented and the arm can remain in service until the next scheduled management inspection.
The racking arm shows deflection greater than 10mm but less than 20mm in any direction, with visible signs of damage such as rippling in the paint or slight deformation of the arm's sides.
This level of damage requires corrective action within four weeks. While the racking can remain loaded temporarily, once the rack is off-loaded, it must not be reloaded until the damaged arms have been repaired or replaced. Any Orange risk arms should be replaced within four weeks.
The racking arm shows deflection of more than 20mm in any direction, signalling severe damage that requires immediate attention.
In these situations, the affected area must be off-loaded and isolated from further use until the damaged arms are replaced. The damaged area should be physically barricaded to prevent any further use before repairs are completed.
Do not attempt to repair damaged racking arms.
Any deflection, distortion or damage compromises the strength of the arm and is no longer fit for purpose. It should be replaced on a like for like basis and the old component removed from service and destroyed.
For further information contact our NTHA WHS Specialist:
Graeme Burchall
0419 756 991
graeme.b@ntha.com.au
