Safe shelving

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The diverse range of activities being handled in warehouses across the Middle East is constantly increasing. Additional tasks such as packaging and labelling are now taking place alongside traditional distribution activities, leading to growing numbers of warehouse hazards. This has resulted in logistics managers re-assessing their health and safety policies to ensure potential mishaps are kept under control.

Accidents caused by faulty or damaged racking are normally kept under wraps in the Middle East, which means official figures on the number of incidents are currently unavailable. However, despite the secrecy, these accidents are a reality throughout the region and cannot be ignored.

"Companies tend to keep warehouse accidents outside the public domain," says Geoff Wheatley, regional director, SSI Schaefer. "Accidents involving racking certainly occur in the Middle East, but these incidents rarely hit the headlines because companies fear damaging their reputations by releasing the information."

The financial impact and potential fatalities resulting from racking accidents are considerable. A collapsed racking system could result in property damage, ruined products, personal injury and even death. However, a handful of simple preventative measures can effectively reduce the risks.

"Companies always benefit from being proactive rather than reactive to avoid warehouse accidents," says Walid Tamari, UAE sales manager, Emirates Specialities Company. "Although logistics managers cannot guarantee an accident-free warehouse, it's important to take measures towards reducing the numbers of accidents, which is not necessarily a daunting task."

Manufacturers of warehouse racking should follow international standards, which are implemented to protect customers. These standards, created by the likes of the Storage Equipment Manufacturer's Association (SEMA), the Rack Manufacturers Institute (RMI) and the Federation Europeenne de la Manutention (FEM), are there to ensure manufacturers abide by stringent safety procedures. All suppliers of warehouse racking systems should have structural data that backs up their designs and conforms to industry standards.

"These standards are designed to protect the safety of the operators within the warehouse environment," says Wheatley. "There are certainly risks involved in using non-certified racking. Therefore, it's important for the customer to ask whether the racking has the latest certification. This gives them peace of mind about the quality of the racking in the warehouse."

Although higher quality racking is more expensive in the short term, the return on investment should be better than lower quality alternatives. However, tight warehouse budgets often make the cheaper options more attractive. "Pricing is the most important decision criteria for the majority of companies purchasing racking systems," says Tarek Saoud, director, SPAN Group. "Unfortunately this means poor engineering or low quality shelving is widely available and demand exists for such systems. However, purchasing quality racking that meets international standards is important in the long term."

Purchasing quality racking is certainly an important first step in ensuring warehouse safety. However, companies should also conduct regular inspections of the racking systems, which is a commonly neglected activity in the Middle East.

"It's important that once the racking is installed in the warehouse, customers take precautions to ensure damage does not occur," says Wheatley. "Regular inspections allow the logistics manager to keep track of damage and take preventative action."

Logistics managers should replace or repair damaged racking as soon as possible. Ignoring damaged racking is not only reckless, but it also sends out the wrong signals, because disregarded damage tends to promote further racking damage in the warehouse.

There are various causes of damage to warehouse racking systems, which are often highlighted during inspections. Overloading is a prime example. Racking is designed to support specific load weights, which are outlined during the purchasing process. Therefore, when selecting the system, companies must choose something with adequate strength and stability, based on the weight of the loads being placed on the racking. The entire system could collapse as a result of companies using the racking in a manner other than originally configured.

"The racking systems found in warehouses are carefully analyzed during the design process to meet the requirements stated by the customer," says Saoud. "This means the suitability is subject to certain specifications. For example, the loads being carried by the racking will contribute either positively or negatively to the system's structural integrity. If overloading occurs, it can result in accidents."

The load limits of the entire racking system, as well as each shelf, should be clearly stated on the racking system to ensure warehouse staff is aware of maximum load sizes. This information should ideally be placed once or more in conspicuous locations, such as at the end of all aisles.

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