'Annual warehouse racking inspection is a necessity'

The Occupational Health and Safety Act is very clear about it: warehouse racking must be inspected annually. "In practice, however, we see that many companies take this rather lightly. And that while poor maintenance can lead to major safety risks and high fines," warns CEO Lars de Kock of Begra, the largest warehouse wholesaler in the Benelux for warehouse racking, mezzanine floors and warehouse supplies.

Although many companies invest in high-quality warehouse equipment, De Kock says sufficient safety awareness is often lacking. "We still see many customers who do not or not structurally have their warehouse racking inspected. However, this is required by the Occupational Health and Safety Act to be done upon commissioning and must be done again annually, among other things to check for damage."

Irresponsible risk

That companies are often negligent when it comes to the mandatory testing and inspection of warehouse racks, De Kock calls very unwise: "Because in case of an accident, the consequences are often incalculable. If no inspection has taken place, in such cases the insurance company will often not pay out the damage. And in the worst case, you can be held personally liable as a driver for negligence. In short, this is a totally irresponsible risk! We sometimes compare the inspection of warehouse racking to the MOT inspection of a car. Every sensible person wouldn't think of driving without a MOT inspection, would they? Moreover, we are seeing an increase in enforcement; the Occupational Health and Safety Service has indicated that it will be carrying out stricter inspections. In recent years, for example, substantial fines have already been handed out, sometimes amounting to tens of thousands of euros."

Safety Support

What also surprises De Kock is that although many companies have their warehouse racking inspected, they then fail to make the necessary repairs to the defects found. "Unfortunately, we see this on a regular basis. Perhaps from the idea of saving costs this way, but these companies should be aware that they are then in fact building a file against themselves. Because here, too, negligence can have major consequences."

To minimize safety risks and save unnecessary costs, Begra, with its own inspection company Safety Support, helps thousands of customers annually with inspections and the necessary improvements. "As the largest warehouse inspection company in the Netherlands, we have developed our own special software for this purpose," says De Kock. "We load in the warehouse floor plan, take pictures of the defects and clearly indicate what needs to be improved. On this basis, customers can make their repairs and always have their safety records perfectly and effortlessly in order."

Used scaffolding

A general trend within the logistics world is an increasing demand for used racking. According to De Kock, this is no wonder: "Warehouse racking is a cost item on which you can save a lot of money. Used racks are in fact up to forty percent cheaper than new ones and often still offer years of quality. We therefore see more and more companies that consciously opt for this. As Begra we are actively responding to this, because in the Netherlands we are the largest buyer of used racks and have the largest stock in the Benelux. Thanks to our own team of certified warehouse inspectors, quality is always guaranteed in the process." 

Environmentally friendly

In addition to saving costs, reusing warehouse shelving is also much more sustainable, De Kock emphasizes. "That is quite unique, because usually the choice for a green option actually ends up a bit more expensive. But used racking is thus not only beneficial for the wallet, but in addition it also reduces the CO2 footprint because it prevents new production processes and thus CO2 emissions. Moreover, our stock of used racks is so large that it allows us to meet almost any storage need of a customer."