Welcome Guest! The IOSH forums are a free resource to both members and non-members. Login or register to use them

Postings made by forum users are personal opinions. IOSH is not responsible for the content or accuracy of any of the information contained in forum postings. Please carefully consider any advice you receive.

Notification

Icon
Error

Options
Go to last post Go to first unread
Admin  
#1 Posted : 14 May 2004 21:27:00(UTC)
Rank: Guest
Admin

Posted By Gordon Thelwell
Inspired by this fantastic forum, I have recently constructed a warehouse safety forum to cater the materials handling industry or anyone having Pallet Racks in their workplace. It is aimed at being a focus point for people to find, share and discuss safety issues for a subject that is at best fragmented.

It requires Safety Professionals to highlight the lack of specific regulations, ACOP's and Guidelines applying to Pallet Racking Safety and Warehouse Safety in general.

The SEMA Guidelines as they stand are a rudimentary homage to an ageing British Standard BS 5950 Part IV which is borrowed from basic steel structures e.g. a 300mm x 300mm steel box column used for static building support. As some of you may know, Racking is a Dynamic Storage System with C section open back column sections not exceeding 100mm on the front face.

The SEMA Guidelines do not take into account the depth, height, grade or gauge of steel, the working environment, Material Handling Equipment used, the loads being stored or the actual systems of work in operation thus negating the spirit of a 'real world' assessment. The results that I see during my time at work are damage tolerance levels to racking that are either ignored because they are regarded as financially prohibitive, or where the client is spending immense amounts of their repair budgets unnecessarily.

Please can you help me change the law in this respect?

I shall refrain from posting the Safety Forums address until permission or otherwise is granted by the IOSH Forum moderator. Nevertheless, if you have any views or comments on this subject I would enjoy your opinion or advice.
Admin  
#2 Posted : 16 May 2004 16:39:00(UTC)
Rank: Guest
Admin

Posted By Martin Taylor
I am most interested in your posting Gordon.

Although my facility ahs a relatively small number of racking installations I have learnt a lot over the last 4 years of the danger of racking - dangers I am sad to say that the so called warehouse experts in the company are unaware of.

One of the weaknesses has been clear guideance on installation and repairers. Just this week I have been advised that repairing damaged racks by splicing below the first beam level is a no - no - guess what I have had 10 uprgights repaired in the last 3 months doing just that - who's right?

I'd be delighted to hear more of your initiative - the more sources of informtation the better and in this particular area the more exposure of potential incidents the better

all the best with your intiative

Martin Taylor
Admin  
#3 Posted : 17 May 2004 19:47:00(UTC)
Rank: Guest
Admin

Posted By Gordon Thelwell
Hi Martin,

Yes, that is correct, the splice plate section should not be below the first beam level because of the impact collapse propensity of a low splice section.


Here is the shortcut to the forum, it's still less than a week old but growing everyday. Please download the documents and feel free to add any you wish.

http://www.therackgroup.com/forum/toast.asp

Thankyou for the encouragement, please join in!

Regards,

Gordon.
Users browsing this topic
Guest
You cannot post new topics in this forum.
You cannot reply to topics in this forum.
You cannot delete your posts in this forum.
You cannot edit your posts in this forum.
You cannot create polls in this forum.
You cannot vote in polls in this forum.