Sector Focus: Handling & Storage | 93
SUMMARY
■Racking is classed as work equipment and covered by PUWER
■HSE has developed a best practice document
■Racking should be inspected daily and weekly
■SEMA runs a Rack Safety Awareness course
SAFE AND SECURE
Matt Grierson, president of the Storage Equipment Manufacturers Association (SEMA) provides some guidance on keeping your employees safe
Most business owners today understand the importance of employee welfare. They are aware of the need to perform risk assessments in the workplace, provide guidance and training on health and safety requirements and communicate with staff. However, one area that tends to get forgotten is the link between safety, racking and training.
RACKING SAFETY
Although the frame of your racking may appear straightforward, ensuring it safely holds up tonnes of stock without any issues requires a high level of technical expertise. To start with, it must be designed, manufactured and installed precisely for its intended role to meet industry and quality standards. Once in place, your racking requires daily attention to keep it in good working order. Any small knocks and bumps, if not addressed, can very quickly turn into big problems. Imagine the consequences if your racking collapses, bringing down with it tonnes of stock. The best-case scenario can result in lost production time and material costs but at worst your staff could receive life-changing injuries or even suffer a fatality. Catching problems early starts with your staff. After all, they use the equipment regularly and are in the best position to catch problems early. Training will show your staff how to safely work around the racking, although its main role should be to provide them with the knowledge they need to spot issues.
RACKING RESPONSIBILITIES You should be aware that racking is classed as work equipment. Under PUWER (Provisions and Use of Work Regulations 1998) you have a responsibility to ensure it is maintained correctly. If you’re found to be negligent in
your duties, the Health & Safety Executive (HSE) will come down hard and fines can range anywhere from tens of thousands to even millions of pounds. To help guide companies through the process, the HSE has developed a best practice document in HSG76 Warehousing and Storage: A Guide to Health and Safety. Although it is not a legal requirement to follow the advice, adhering to the guidance is usually enough to comply with legislation. The guidance advises businesses to adopt a three-tiered approach to inspecting your racking. This includes daily and weekly inspections by your employees supported by training. This is completed through expert inspections by a qualified professional such as our SEMA Approved Rack Inspectors (SARI).
RACK SAFETY AWARENESS TRAINING Do you need training for your employees? Our Rack Safety Awareness (RSA) course, which is referenced in HSG76, is specific to end users’ sites and instructs employees on how to undertake daily checks. It covers the safe operation of racking systems, load notices, industry guidance and examples of damage and guidance on how to categorise and prevent damage happening. The course then goes on to provide information on weekly inspections and the tools needed by a person responsible for racking safety (PRRS), as recommended in HSG76. The course covers in-house rack inspections, how to conduct risk assessments, reporting and recording damage levels and action points. If you’d like to book one of our training courses or to find out how to find a SARI for your expert inspection, contact the SEMA office by emailing
enquiry@sema.org.uk or visiting
sema.org.uk ■
Top: A SARI inspection under way Above: Racking requires daily attention
www.ttjonline.com | July/August 2023 | TTJ
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