According to OSHA, the number of fatal injuries in warehouse and storage facilities increased 23% from 2020 to 2021. Additionally, warehouses have one of the highest non-fatal injury rates of any industry. Consequently, OSHA announced in 2023 that it was taking steps to reduce and prevent workplace hazards in warehouses and distribution centers, which included recommending third parties perform your warehouse rack inspections.
Third-party warehouse racking inspections ensure you have an unbiased and accurate assessment. But what if your company has never done a third-party inspection? What if you’ve never worked with Mazzella before? What can you expect that process to look like? This article will walk you through what to expect from a third-party warehouse rack inspection. We will review:
- Does a Facility Need to Shut Down for a Pallet Rack Inspection?
- What are Third-Party Rack Inspectors Looking For?
- What if an Issue is Found During a Pallet Rack Inspection?
- How Often Should You Inspect Your Pallet Racks?
- How Long Does a Third-Party Pallet Rack Inspection Take?
What Happens Before a Third-Party Pallet Rack Inspection?
To ensure a smooth, efficient rack inspection, work is needed before an inspector even arrives at your facility.
First, third-party inspectors will need clear visual access to the storage systems. Providing them a layout, drawing, or pictures of the facility will help. They will also want to know the amount of storage in the facility: the number of aisles and bays. They will also ask what type of pallet racks you use—structural or roll formed racks.
Furthermore, provide your inspectors with the age of the pallet racks and the last time they’ve been inspected.
What if You Don’t Know the Size of Your Facility?
It is not an issue if you don’t know the exact size of your facility. Mazzella’s third-party inspectors can do assessments from afar, using tools like Google Maps or Google Earth.
Your inspectors can even work with your warehouse team to get an idea of the size of the facility.
Does a Facility Need to Shut Down for a Pallet Rack Inspection?
One of the biggest goals of Mazzella’s inspection team is to not get in the way of operations. With proper communication and planning, a facility should not have to shut down for a pallet rack inspection.
It’s the warehouse management’s responsibility to inform workers about an incoming inspection and to adjust schedules and workflows accordingly. As mentioned, ensure the inspectors have clear visibility and access to all bays.
Do Third-Party Inspectors Need to Go in the Air?
No. Mazzella’s warehouse inspectors prefer to stay on the ground from a safety and time perspective. Plus, according to them, over 90% of damage can be inspected from the ground.
What are Third-Party Rack Inspectors Looking For?
Warehouse pallet racks can go through plenty of abuse in a facility, especially in high-trafficked areas. Some of the most common issues inspectors see include:
Damaged Uprights and Beams
The most common problem found in any warehouse, beam damage is usually caused by forklift damage.
Damaged uprights or beams directly affects the structural integrity of your rack, compromising their load-carrying capacity.
Missing Wire Decks
Wire decks act as a heavy-duty safety net underneath your product. If a rack system is hit by a forklift with no wire deck underneath, that palette can be dislodged and collapse on nearby workers.
Missing or Damaged Anchors
Some companies, after moving pallet racks around in a facility, will forget to anchor it to the floor. Plus, older racks may have damaged or dislodged anchors. Rack guards are a common tool used to protect the anchors from forklift damage.
No Safety Clips on Beams
Safety clips are attached to the rack’s pallet to stop it from dislodging after contact from a forklift. Without a safety clip, the forklift could dislodge the beam above.
Improperly Sized Rack Members or System Configurations
Improperly sized racks are usually seen when a company moves into a new facility and uses the existing racks for their products, not accounting for the rack’s capacity and previous products. These systems usually don’t have proper capacity postings as well.
What if an Issue is Found During a Pallet Rack Inspection?
There are very few facilities out there who will have zero damage or concerns with their racks. During the inspection, the third-party inspector will take notes and photos to document areas of concern and will review them with you after the inspection.
How Does Mazzella Rank Areas of Concern?
Mazzella’s rack inspectors use a three-tier color system to rank areas of concern:
Green: Nothing is wrong with the rack and warrants no action from you.
Yellow: There are minor issues with the rack, and the owners should proceed with extra caution while using them. The inspectors will ask that you inspect it daily or weekly.
Damage and issues in the yellow category can quickly turn red if extra precaution isn’t taken, and the warehouse operating team would be responsible for communicating that to their forklift operators and employees.
Red: The most severe ranking, any pallet racks marked as red should be removed from service, also called “locking it out” or “tagging it out,” and any product on said rack should be removed. All racks marked as red will be brought to their contact’s attention immediately after the inspection. Or, if the danger is severe enough, the inspectors will stop the inspection to inform them immediately.
Mazzella’s inspectors can help generate a quote for all damaged racks, whether they’re labeled yellow or red.
How Often Should You Inspect Your Pallet Racks?
As discussed in a previous article, your inspection cadence for pallet racks will depend on several factors.
The first one is reviewing their application. Storage racks are not a one-size fits-all solution, and third-party inspectors will review your product application and:
- See if the rack is improperly positioning loads.
- Review the weight of the loads and see if they are exceeding the rack’s capacity
- Look for other signs like excessive beam deflection
The size of your facility / warehouse will also impact your inspection schedule. Are you a major distributor with hundreds of bays, workers, and forklifts? If so, inspecting your racks quarterly or even monthly would be good. (The more wear and tear on your racks, the more often they will need to be inspected.)
What if you’re a one-off, mom-and-pop operation with two forklifts and a dozen pallets? An annual inspection will be more than enough.
Regardless of your facility’s size, you should never go a full calendar year without inspecting your pallet racks.
Furthermore, if you rely on seasonal / temporary employees, who may not be fully trained, it would be a good idea to schedule multiple inspections in a year, especially around peak season.
How Long Does a Third-Party Pallet Rack Inspection Take?
The length of your rack inspection will depend on the size of your facility and the condition of the racks. According to our specialists, the average pallet rack inspection will take one day.
However, a larger warehouse or a facility with older racks and a lot of damage could take several days to complete.
What Should You Do After Getting Your Rack Inspection Report?
Once the inspection is complete, Mazzella’s inspector will review their findings with the customer.
This review includes highlighting major areas of concern and recommendations on next steps. The inspectors’ notes and pictures will be turned into a report, which will be sent to the customer one or two weeks after the site visit.
The report should be reviewed with the warehouse’s management and operations team to make sure there’s clear understanding of what the problem is, what the Rack Manufacturer Institute guidelines are, and decide internally what their course of action might be to become more compliant and safer.
Why are Third-Party Pallet Rack Inspections Important?
Conducting a pallet rack inspection takes a lot of work from both ends, and we hope this article laid out what you can expect from a third-party operation.
Rack inspections are more than just something to check off a to-do list—they’re vital for providing a safe work environment for your employees, and warehouse inspections should be part of your regular safety protocols.
They keep your organization accountable and alert you of issues that could lead to catastrophic failure. We understand that maintaining—and scheduling—inspections can easily slip on your priority list, but the benefits are worth it.
Accidents or failures could be catastrophic to your operations, your team, and your organization’s reputation. Keeping your team safe during their workday is what is most important, and we’re here to help you.
On top of pallet rack inspections, we also work directly with the largest manufacturers and distributors of storage racks in the country. Regardless of the brand, make, or model you have, we can help replace or repair key components.
Contact one of our specialists to schedule your next warehouse rack inspection.
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