Looking for a bit of advice (as usual)

I came across a situation today in a warehouse whereby the ground floor section of the racking has been used for locker storage and a changing area for warehouse employees. I asked the warehouse manager why he'd done this and somewhat unsurprisingly the response was 'because there was no where else to put them'.

This is the back of the racking so the people arent exposed to FLT traffic but obviously they are exposed to the suspended loads above them and anything which falls from the back of the racking e.g. unsecured load on a pallet. The response was to board the racking out to make an impromptu 'ceiling' and mesh the back of the racking to prevent anything falling through.

I'm not happy with the arrangement as clearly in the event of a racking collapse or pallet falling through the consequences are massive. Just wondering what other peoples thoughts are and if anyone has ever come across a similar situation as my experience with warehousing practice is somewhat limited.

IMHO - do a risk assessment which shows if the risks are real and acceptable / unnacceptable., inlvolve the decision makers in the process.

Is this any different to having walkways through racking?

If the racking and pallets are used correctly, and there is sufficient over head protection, it is no more of a risk than working in or near the racking.

Ian