June is National Safety Month, and there is no better time to take a closer look at the hazards that often go unnoticed in busy warehouse environments. Even with safety as a high priority, most facilities often overlook the small issues.

However, over time these small issues can lead to a number of risks including damaged inventory, operational disruptions, costly repairs, and sometimes serious injuries. Commonly seen across different warehouse environments, the most significant risk to your racks safety aren't the obvious ones, but the issues hiding in plain sight.

In this blog, we highlight the 10 most overlooked warehouse safety risks, and how you can address them before they become major problems. 

1. Missing beam safety clips

Without safety clips, horizontal beams are more susceptible to being dislodged from forklift impact or pallet loading and unloading, potentially resulting in product loss or rack failure.

Including beam safety clips in routine inspections can be key to preventing accidental beam dislodgement. While they are easy to overlook in the day-to-day, they are also easy to replace and can prevent major damage. Making it a point to inspect these clips during routine walkthroughs takes seconds and can save your racks and operation from costly damage. 

2. Forklift impact damage

Oftentimes, minor forklift impacts are dismissed as a cosmetic issue; however, these small dents and bends compromise the integrity of a racking system. Training operators to report every impact, regardless of severity, can be the difference in rack failure over time.

3. Overloaded shelves

As businesses grow and expand offerings, naturally there is an increased demand for inventory. What often goes overlooked in times of growth are the load capacities of existing systems.

When shelves become overloaded, the increased stress on the beams, frames, and anchors increases the risk of rack collapse, personnel injury, and inventory loss. While this is easy to overlook due to the stress not always being visible, these issues can be avoided by regularly verifying load capacities.

4. Improper pallet placement

Even if following the recommended load capacity having improper pallet placement can lead to significant hazards.

Often overlooked issues include:

  • Pallets overhanging beam edges
  • Uneven load distribution
  • Partially supported pallets
  • Misaligned loads

These seemingly small errors can lead to product falls and inevitable rack damage. Making note of pallet placement during inspections and ensuring operators are trained in proper placement can prevent bigger issues down the road.

5. Unreported rack damage

The most apparent issue encountered in racking systems is not the damage to the racking system in itself, but the lack of reporting. A lot of times, employees make the assumption that the damage they have spotted has been reported. Over time, damage being ignored becomes normalized while the stress the racking system is under is not being addressed. Promoting a reporting policy can make it easy for damages to be communicated and addressed early on.

6. Obstructed fire suppression systems

Missing load capacity labels often goes hand in hand with overloaded shelves. These critical safety tools are often missing from racks, ineligible, or outdated. Without having the capacity information readily available shelves can easily and unknowingly be overloaded.

The damage that this can cause is not always immediate; however, the stress over time can lead to major damage. Ensuring all racking systems have visible and up to date labels is an essential safety practice.

7. Missing load capacity labels

Racking and storage layout evolve as operations evolve, but fire protection requirements remain unchanged. As storage needs become more demanding, inventory begins to be stored closer and closer to sprinkler heads, blocking proper water distribution patterns.

Taking the time to review storage configurations regularly and ensure proper clearances can prevent major fire hazards associated with obstructed fire suppression systems and help maintain compliance.

8. Damaged pallets

Damaged pallets can introduce serious risks to your operation. Once a pallet is compromised, unexpected failure can occur, causing damage to products and safety incidents. Prevent unexpected pallet failure by knowing what to look out for and taking action immediately to remove damaged pallets from service.

Always be on the lookout for:

  • Broken deck boards
  • Cracked stringers
  • Missing components
  • Excessive wear

9. Inadequate aisle clearance

When aisle clearance is obstructed, there is a direct correlation with increased forklift impacts, pedestrian incidents, and operational inefficiencies. In order to prevent potential accidents due to restricted aisle clearance it is important to have clearly defined aisle width and regularly audit that these standards are being upheld.

10. Poor housekeeping around storage areas

While keeping space around storage systems clear seems like common sense, this is also one of the easiest to overlook. Misplaced materials create hazards, obstruct visibility, and pollute travel paths. Prioritizing housekeeping in day-to-day operations can be the difference in accident prevention.

Safety Starts with Awareness

Most racking systems don't fail from a single failure, often times racking systems fail as a result of small issues going unresolved over time. Staying on top of these often-overlooked risks can prevent. 

This Safety Month, prioritize prevention, the most effective and affordable way to protect your people, your operation, and your product.

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