Considerations for creating and maintaining a safe warehouse

"People often think: as long as the racks are inspected, our warehouse is safe. However, there are many more factors that determine the safety of a warehouse. Often these are small things that are quickly overlooked. Or things people haven't thought about," Ron Konings knows. As operational director of Europe Racking, specialist in high-quality warehouse racking and warehouse equipment, Konings sees a lot of warehouses from the inside. He often encounters unsafe situations there, which is why we asked him about the main pitfalls and points of attention. 

"Mind you, we certainly don't want to point fingers. Sometimes it's ignorance and sometimes things just happen unknowingly. This is precisely why we actively think with our customers and advise them on the safety aspects of their warehouse. We also take this strongly into account in our drawings."

Aisles

"A safe warehouse layout starts with proper walking and driving routes," he emphasizes. "Escape routes must be designed so that several people can reach the emergency door at the same time. Aisles that are too narrow are then dangerous. Packing tables in the aisle are out of the question, as are blocking emergency exits or fire extinguishers. It seems obvious, but we still often see it go wrong. By placing clear markings, for example near the fire extinguishers, you prevent people from placing materials in front of them. The aisles themselves should also not be too wide. This is because it invites people to put things there, which in turn leads to unsafe situations." 

Theses

Separation between different types of racking is also crucial. "Pallet racks are meant for forklifts, shelf racks for manual order picking. The most common mistake we encounter is that people make a row of shelves underneath the pallet racks. Then you see an order picker working at the bottom, while the forklift driver drives right next to it. That's asking for accidents."

In addition, attention must be paid to what is stored in pallet racks: "We look at what solution we can provide to do this safely, regardless of the size of the pallet. Think wire grids, press gratings or wooden decking. And sometimes a few extra supports are enough."

"We used to use block pallets, now euro pallets. The latter are bigger. So don't mix the two types, because then the europallets stick out. With a heavier product, a lath can break off, with all its consequences. We also look at what will be stored in the pallet racks, and then we look at what solution we can both provide to do this safely, regardless of the size of the pallet. But we also look at, for example, wire gratings, press gratings, wooden decking or just additional supports where needed. But completely tailored to the needs of the customer.  

Floor

"When a new storey floor is installed, people sometimes forget to move important markings with it, and then the emergency exit sign is suddenly no longer visible. And don't forget fall protection in this regard." Loading scaffolding correctly is important. "Keep in mind the maximum weight and ensure safe distribution of goods, so the heaviest items at the bottom. And, of course, have the racking inspected every year." For this you can also turn to Europa Racking, as their mechanics are recognized BMWT inspectors. For other brand racks, they carry out a chimney inspection.

Reusable racks

Europe Racking makes ironclad warehouse racking in its own production facility in the Netherlands. "We supply both standard and customized products. Everything of high quality and with a premium appearance." The racking is demountable and reusable. While other suppliers regularly change their components making them incompatible later, Europe Racking has instead stayed true to its original design from 1984. "And we will remain true to that for the next few decades as well. That makes our racking a good and environmentally friendly investment. I recently visited a customer who had bought our racking almost thirty years ago and recently moved, where he was able to use our racking all over again."