I would like to ask your thoughts on the practice of storing palletised goods above walkways in an warehouse environment. Up till now I have always resisted any notion to utilise empty racking above walkways for the very obvious risks to pedestrians and falling objects, however after visiting a couple of distribution centres I have seen the practice of using these areas for storage. I have tried to pick out specific guidance on the subject, but have struggled to get a definitive answer either way. Your thoughts as always appreciated.

Hi Guru I work in warehousing and have seen this, i have normally seen either beams placed across to stop the pallet falling through or mesh to do the same, they are quite common.

Some questions that you should be asking yourself: what are the circumstances in which a pallet can fall and what is the likelihood of a pallet falling? What is the likelihood of a pallet falling when somebody is underneath? What is the likelihood of something falling from the pallet? What is the likelihood of someone being underneath at that time? And if so, what is the harm that will be done? Once you have answers to these questions you will be able to make a judgement on whether it is acceptable to use the additional storage space. or whether it may be acceptable with additional control measures in place.