Three reasons to focus on security in your warehouse!
Employer obligations, safety risks, serious consequences: here are three good reasons to focus on safety in your premises
Do you know the risks associated with your storage systems?
Your racking might be badly installed, worn, overloaded, damaged or uncertified – which makes your warehouse exposed to hazards.
This could lead to consequences as harmful as:
- Work interruptions
- Damaged merchandise
- Costly repairs
- Accidents, serious injuries and even in some cases death
Here are the three good reasons to make safety and prevention a priority:
Reason 1 – Employer obligations
Each employer is responsible for providing a safe environment for their employees; hence the importance of knowing the laws and standards on storage systems – pallet racks, mezzanines, industrial shelves, etc.
One of our certified experts will be happy to share the best practices to you, which are simple and effective.
Refer to one of them the inspection and certification of your storage system, so that you can comply with the standards and rules currently in place.
According to Bill C-21 – an employer can be found guilty of criminal liability for “poor management of occupational health and safety”.
Protect yourself against risks by having your pallet racks inspected and certified!
Reason 2 – Security risks
During a visit, a rack inspection expert will be able to identify the safety risks within your premises. This includes the risks associated with the installation or use of racks and any non-compliance with standards that may be raised during an inspection by the CNESST.
Risks stemming from improperly installed systems include lack of anchors, pins or guards, or that the capacity of allowable loads is unknown or badly evaluated.
On the other hand, the risks associated with the use of racks vary between damage, anomalies, and all the risks associated with daily operations.
Reason 3 – Serious consequences
A weakness in the security of storage systems can cause falling loads, falls from heights, accidents and collapses.
Their consequences are serious:
Injuries, deaths, conflicts or litigation, post-traumatic stress, stoppage or slowing down of operations, loss of income, loss of customers, loss of reputation, but also, as an employer, criminal liability.
The solution :
Given these serious consequences, our experts advise to always think and prepare in advance, instead of reacting after an incident.
During a visit to inspect your premises, our experts can identify the risks, then suggest solutions to make your warehouse safe and compliant with standards, but also to limit future damage.
Other than repairing your damaged items by reinforcing or replacing them, we can provide specialized protectors, safety mesh panels, load capacity signs and labels, guardrails, ground markings, etc.
Let us take care of the safety of your people and your merchandise.
Our storage and layout organization experts, who are trained and certified in rack safety, are at your service.
Why inspect your racks and how often?
The number one reason for having your racks inspected is to make your premises safe and to ensure the health and safety of your employees.
How?
An inspection will allow you to minimize the risks associated with racking and their serious consequences, by identifying the risks and the necessary upgrades in order to comply with applicable standards and rules. Thus, an inspection will allow you to make significant savings in the medium and long term by making maintenance a priority.
At what frequency?
The CNESST guide to pallet rack safety and the standard CSA A344, chapter 8, recommend that you carry out daily and scheduled inspections of your systems. Our experts recommend planning inspections:
Every month – by one of your employees trained in inspections, and
Every year – a thorough inspection by a specialized firm and supervised by an engineer.
Please note: depending on your use of your racking and the frequency of accidents, your inspections may be scheduled more or less often.
Be well prepared when planning your projects
When planning a project, the number one priority is to identify your storage and layout organization needs. This will allow you to identify the lifting equipment that will be used, identify frequent use areas, safety risks and recommended clearances. Finally, you will need to prepare the engineering plans.
Your space will need to be planned efficiently – with an efficient storage system that will maximize your space, but with sufficient clearances to allow safe movement of carts, as well as tunnels for passage between rows.
While planning, it is crucial to think about congestion in aisles or in areas, such as columns in your building or your heating, which could block work passages or evacuation routes.
Our comprehensive engineering services aimed at increasing the safety of your premises:
- Inspection and a detailed report including recommendations
- Calculations and display of the admissible loads of your storage systems
- Pallet rack repairs with a certification by an engineer
- Consultation – plan your layout and get a quote for your projects
- Plans signed and sealed by an engineer, including the necessary free space calculations
- Training in the assembly, use, inspection and dismantling of pallet racks
- Geotechnical study for concrete slabs
- Relocation of your factory or storage equipment, especially if your equipment is connected to buildings
- Support during permit requests
Inspections of your storage systems are part of your prevention program, which will help you reduce or eliminate workplace hazards.
Contact us for an inspection of your storage systems.
For more information, please download our specialized pamphlet here.
