Brace Yourselves, Colorado — Your Warehouse Safety Depends Upon It
What’s the Significance of Pallet Rack Bracing on Warehouse Safety?
When we’re talking warehouse safety, it’s essential to be familiar with even the small details of your pallet racking system. Knowing the parts and pieces helps you train your team on safe use and enables you to evaluate possible dangers effectively. When it comes to basic pallet rack design, your system consists of uprights and beams configured to support the pallet loads. The uprights are created by joining front & rear columns with welded or bolted struts between them. The diagonal and horizontal pattern of the struts is called a brace panel, and it’s repeated for the height of the upright to provide support and system stability in the cross-aisle direction.
There are three brace panel designs that you may see in your rack system, namely, K-brace, X-brace, and Z-brace.
Due to the significant role the brace panels play in system stability, when you find broken, missing, or damaged struts, the structural integrity of your pallet rack system may be in jeopardy. It is time to inspect the rack damage and possibly replace or repair the compromised components.
Come Full Circle on Warehouse Safety with the Apex Rack Repair App
The Apex Rack Repair App is a terrific tool for assessing rack damage, including struts, uprights, rack guards, and anything that can tangle with a large piece of warehouse equipment and come out the loser. The Rack Repair App is easy to use with preloaded rack component styles, measurements, features, etc. You can even take pictures of the damage right there in the app and scan barcodes as an easy way to pinpoint the location of the damage.
After you’ve answered all the prompts for each damage location, it’s easy to assess the significance and urgency –all you have to do is upload your findings to the Apex PROs for expert review. The Apex team will get back to you promptly with a comprehensive report. We will also provide the most cost-effective, long-term custom solution for your pallet rack system if we recommend repairing or replacing damaged components.
Guarding Your Pallet Racking Against Damage
In addition to inspecting your pallet racking for damage, consider whether the system is protected sufficiently. Rack safety guards such as heavy-duty horizontal struts, column protectors, and end row guards protect rack components most exposed to equipment strikes. The guards are durable and custom fit to absorb equipment strikes without transferring force to the rack. When assessing damage, be sure to include your pallet rack guards. They are typically a much easier replacement than repairing your rack system.
The Apex team can help you with all of your warehouse safety concerns. From smart, safe design to inspection, repairs, and even personnel training. Just give us a call today to find the best solutions to your warehousing challenges.
The Apex Rack Repair App is Free to download and use. Try it today: Google Play or the App Store.
