A New Measure of Safety Established for Pallet Racking Steel Mesh Containment Panels | Apex Safety Spotlight
The Protective Guarding Manufacturers Association (ProGMA) recently released new standards for steel mesh containment panels used with vertical pallet rack storage. Approved by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI), the standards are the first of their kind and provide baseline performance and testing requirements as well as a blueprint for safe use and best practices.
Steel mesh containment panels are vertically mounted to the back of pallet racking to prevent inventory and equipment from falling and causing damage or injury below. They are particularly helpful in back-to-back rack systems to ensure the flue area between the two racks remains clear and fire safety compliant. They are similar in function to safety netting; however, steel mesh containment panels provide a hard stop if struck and will contain heavy, sharp, or unbalanced loads from falling through the rack. Safety netting, on the other hand, is also very strong but more flexible, so it is generally installed to catch falling items to minimize cleanup and damage.
Steel mesh containment panels can also be used around conveyors to augment warehouse safety efforts.
Warehouse Safety & Rack Repair
These new guidelines provide another essential safety element in the effort to advance overall warehouse and industrial facility health. You should have wire mesh containment panels or protective rack netting evaluated after being struck or damaged to ensure it is still able to provide the necessary protection. Additionally, because containment panels can deflect when impacted, it is crucial to inspect flue and aisle space to confirm that it remains free from obstruction from the damaged panels.
Safety should always be top of mind for each area of your warehouse operations. Apex has written extensively on the importance of warehouse safety and damage prevention, including our blog on pallet racking guards. The Apex Rack Repair & Safety Program was developed to provide warehouse and industrial facility managers with the tools they need to keep their operations running most effectively without compromising safety.
The Apex Rack Repair & Safety Program
Apex understands the importance of warehouse safety for operational effectiveness. We also understand the nature of busy warehouses and the reality that accidents do happen. That’s why we created the Apex Rack Repair App and made it available for free download from the App Store. Now, your team is able to quickly assess rack damage severity, and at the same time, gather all the needed specs to order a repair kit should that be necessary.
That’s what we term the ”Do It Yourself” approach. The Rack Repair App guides you through your assessment and prompts you to also capture photos of damaged rack components and/or safety concerns. Everything is uploaded for review by the Apex PROs and you will receive a detailed report and repair information if needed.
If you’d rather leave the rack inspection to the professionals, the Apex PROs will come to you and conduct a complete system audit and warehouse safety inspection. Just give us a call to schedule. Our PROs are trained and certified rack inspectors.
Whatever way you choose to perform your pallet rack inspection, the Apex team gives you Our Promise. By using the Rack Repair App or hiring the Apex PROs you are guaranteed an independent, non-biased pallet rack audit and repair or replacement solution.
Visit our website for more information.
