(Details) Standard Procedure for Inspecting Storage Racks

How to ensure smooth operation of a warehouse? How to maintain the quality of storage racks over the long term? Inspecting storage racks not only enhances warehouse efficiency but also helps businesses significantly reduce investment costs. Today, Eurorack will provide you with the most comprehensive overview of how to ensure that storage rack inspections meet the standards

Why is it necessary to inspect storage racks

Inspecting storage racks is the application of current principles and standards to ensure the entire system is safe and operates efficiently during use.

The applied standards include:

• 0.3.01 "Adjustable Beam Pallet Racking: Tolerances, deformation, and Clearances."FEM 1
• TCVN 4244:2005 Lifting equipment. Design, manufacture, and technical inspection.
• 38-05 Steel structures. Design standards.TCXDVN 3

Commonly inspected racks include: Selective racks, Drive-in racks, VNA racks, Shuttle racks, Double Deep racks, ASRS racks, Push Back racks, Roller Pallet racks, etc.

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To ensure the racks operate smoothly without unexpected errors that could directly affect the quality of goods, and more importantly, human lives, pre-use inspection is a top priority.

Goods must be placed on pallets before being stored on racks. Over time, pallets may degrade. Furthermore, racks that bear heavy loads over long periods may experience structural changes. Additionally, racks often get hit by forklifts during movement, leading to dents, and the joints gradually wear out, causing connections to break, or worse, leading to system collapse.

Given the significant investment costs, businesses always aim for their assets to operate well and have a long lifespan. Therefore, inspections have become increasingly essential and must be carried out regularly.

Storage Rack Inspection Proces

Storage rack inspections are carried out after the installation process is completed. At this stage, businesses typically select third-party entities to conduct safety inspections before the system is put into operation. The inspection process requires accuracy and certainty, which is why using a third party ensures precise checks as they have the necessary expertise and years of experience.

Step 1: Review of Design and Installation Documents

• The documents that need to be reviewed and checked include:
• The design drawings (prepared in advance).
• Completion documentation.
• Any previous test reports (for systems that have been in operation for some time).

Step 2: Measurement and Technical Specification Check

• Evaluate the structure of the system and conduct inspections on specific components:
• Rack legs: Are they positioned correctly and securely anchored to the floor?
• Horizontal and diagonal braces...

Technical Specifications Check During Storage Rack Inspectio

• Beam: Is there any bending?
• Cross beam.
• Foot plates: Are they damaged?
• Rack leg protectors.
• Safety barriers: Are they still secure?
• Bolts: Are they properly tightened?
• Pay special attention to two key parameters:

Deflection: The beam supports pallets directly carrying goods, so it often bends. Use a total station to measure the deflection of the beam (compare with the allowable value set by the manufacturer or the standard applied, such as Span/200). If the deflection is within acceptable limits, the system will still operate normally. However, if the deflection exceeds the allowable limit, the beam may become deformed and prone to breaking, leading to pallet collapse, and thus should be repaired or replaced.

Column tilt: Should not exceed L/350, where L is the height from the ground to the top of the column at all levels.

Note: During use, to extend the lifespan of the storage racks and minimize the risk of unnecessary incidents, managers should develop a reasonable storage plan.

>>>> Reference: Effective Warehouse Rack Layout Method

Step 3: Load Testing

Once the system successfully passes the first two inspection rounds, load testing is conducted:

A forklift moves through the aisle to place pallets (already loaded with goods) onto the racks, ensuring that the load is evenly distributed. The load test is carried out at 100% capacity of the system.

Each rack has its own specific technical specifications, and measurements such as deflection and tilt are taken. Based on these measurements, the degree of deformation of the system is assessed.

From the obtained results, the safety of the system is evaluated, and conclusions are drawn.

Step 4: Evaluation of Inspection Results

After the testing process, the information is recorded in an acceptance report. For systems that meet all evaluation standards, a technical certificate is issued within 5 to 7 working days, and the racks are put into operation.

Note: During the load testing inspection, factors that could affect the quality of the inspection, such as forklifts that must have a valid inspection certificate or pallets that match the load capacity, must meet the testing requirements. Avoid situations where an unsuitable forklift for the rack height is chosen, which could disrupt the load testing process or lead to inaccurate results.

Conclusion

Inspecting storage racks is extremely important, especially before putting the system into operation for warehouse management. Businesses that aim to store large quantities of goods must pay special attention to this task and choose an inspection unit with high expertise to ensure that the inspection results are always 100% accurate.

With these insights, Eurorack hopes to provide readers with useful information that can be applied in practice. To manage your warehouse effectively, don't forget to follow more articles from Eurorack!