NEWS
SEMA LAUNCHES UK’S FIRST RACKING DUTY HOLDERS COURSE
SEMA, storage equipment manufacturers, launch new Duty Holders course A T
imed at business owners, senior management teams and those responsible for workplace safety, the new Duty Holders course from SEMA will help senior
management teams take practice steps towards compliant racking that protects their business. The impact of a racking failure can
be severe from lost stock, operational shutdowns, serious injury, substantial fines issued by the Health & Safety Executive (HSE) and, in worst cases, prison sentences. With warehouse operations facing
increasing scrutiny from regulators, this course helps senior management teams
meet their legal requirements, protect their business and employees. The two-hour online Duty Holders course
covers the UK legal framework governing racking, risk assessments, inspections and protection systems. It also explains the role of the Person Responsible for Racking Safety (PRRS) and why failing to act on inspection recommendations carries serious consequences. For more information and to book on the
course, visit
https://sema.org.uk/racking- duty-holders-course/
www.sema.org.uk
RECENT HSE CASES HIGHLIGHT THE RISKS OF POOR LOAD STABILITY AND EQUIPMENT MAINTENANCE
he Health and Safety Executive has issued a run of prosecutions in recent weeks involving unstable stockpiles, workers becoming en- tangled in machinery and equip-
ment failing during operation. Midland Pallet Trucks says the pattern,
while involving different businesses and circumstances, points to a familiar and largely preventable set of failures that Midlands manufacturers and warehouse operators should take seriously. None of these cases are unusual in
isolation. Loads that haven’t been stacked or secured correctly, machinery that isn’t properly guarded, and equipment that’s allowed to become unstable during use are among the most consistently cited causes of serious workplace injury. What links these incidents isn’t a single
big failure, but smaller, everyday gaps in maintenance and handling practice that build up over time until something goes wrong. Phil Chesworth, Managing Director at
Midland Pallet Trucks, said, “You see prosecutions like these come through fairly regularly, and it’s easy to read them as one-off failures at a particular site. In our experience, the underlying causes are usually much more common than that. “A pallet stacked wrong, a piece of
equipment that hasn’t been checked in a while, a load that’s heavier or more awkward than the kit handling it was really
designed for. None of that looks dangerous day to day, right up until it is. This is exactly the kind of thing worth
reviewing before it becomes a problem, not after. Checking that pallet trucks, stacker trucks and lift tables are properly maintained, correctly rated for the loads they’re handling, and being used the way they’re meant to be, is a straightforward thing to do, but it’s often the first thing that slips when a site gets busy.
Chesworth added, “Nobody sets out to
cut corners on safety. It tends to happen gradually, through equipment not being replaced when it should be, or loads being handled in a way that’s become normal without anyone really questioning it. Recent enforcement activity is a useful prompt to take a proper look, rather than assuming everything’s fine because nothing’s gone wrong yet.”
www.midlandpallettrucks.com
FACTORY&HANDLINGSOLUTIONS | SEPTEMBER 2026 9
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