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NO DAMAGE IS GOOD DAMAGE!

Do you need to inspect your racks?

Simply put, yes you do.

The OHSA requires inspections of your workplace at least once per month, while CSA A344.1/05 addresses both the inspection and maintenance of your pallet racking. To ensure your compliance you need to have a “Competent Person”, who is trained and knowledgeable performing this critical function.

As well as complying with the OHSA inspection requirements you are also doing your ‘Due Diligence’ by taking all reasonable precautions to protect the health and safety of your workers.

SafeRack, your storage system supplier or a Professional Engineer can help you with training for your employees on inspecting your racks and ensuring you are meeting your legal requirements.

Industrial Storage Racks and Pre-Start Health & Safety Reviews:

- Don’t Risk Having Your Business Shut Down -

On October 7, 2000, Regulation 528/00, which amends section 7 of the Regulations for Industrial Establishments, Regulation 851, became effective in the Province of Ontario. The regulation requires that Pre-Start Health and Safety Reviews (PSR’s) be done if one is installing or modifying certain hazardous machinery, equipment, guarding, stacking structures or introducing a new process in a factory. For the purpose of section 7, stacking structures include industrial pallet racks, stacker racks, drive-in racks, cantilever racks, etc. Employers, owners, and lessees are required to have a Professional Engineer undertake a PSR for a rack structure to ensure it is compliant with applicable standards. Storage systems cannot be used until that review has been conducted and the results communicated to the Joint Health and Safety Committee (JHSC). If any measures are identified in the PSR as necessary to protect worker safety, they must also be implemented prior to the storage structure being loaded with product or the JHSC must be advised why not.

A PSR would not be required if the rack or stacking structure is designed and tested for use in accordance with current applicable standards and documentation is available certifying the structure’s compliance to these standards. The Rack Manufacturers Institute’s (RMI) ‘Specification for the Design, Testing, and Utilization of Industrial Storage Racks’ is the standard recognized for exemption or to support compliance for standard selective pallet racking.

If no PSR is required due to the rack exemption, the employer, owner, or lessee must keep documentation supporting the exemption readily available for review in the workplace, upon request, by the Joint Health and Safety Commit- tee or by a Ministry of Labour inspector.

Documentation from the rack manufacturer or supplier should indicate the requirements for the safe use of the storage structure by outlining loading conditions and design standards used during the system’s design and installation. This documentation usually takes the form of structural drawings, letters of certification, and/or accompanying capacity charts. It is important to note that any reconfiguration or rearrangement of the original storage structure’s design triggers the requirement for a PSR and approval by a Professional Engineer.

The regulation has now been in affect for over ten years and is being enforced by Ministry of Labour inspectors. The issue of compliance is very critical as overlooking it involves the risk of being subjected to stiff penalties which apply to corporations as well as individuals. While responsibility for compliance lies with the employer, owner, or lessee and not the rack vendor, facility operators should ensure vendor selection at the purchasing stage of new rack be based on their qualifications to advise you on certification. Safety is the first priority in any workplace; address the requirements of O.Reg. 528 now and avoid expensive disrup- tions to your company’s operations while also putting your mind at rest.

John Ferrari is a Professional Engineer licensed in both the Provinces of Ontario and Alberta. He is the Vice-President of Engineering for The Konstant Group of Companies.

SAFETY PRODUCT

Protect-it MAXI™ is a revolutionary new product designed to minimize damage to structural columns and assets resulting from a forklift or vehicle impact.

• Prevents column damage
• Improves Workplace safety
• Protects your assets
• Outstanding impact performance
• No column damage to a 4” column after a 2.7 ton forklift impact at 2km/hour.
• No column damage to an 8” column after a 2.7 ton forklift impact at 6km/hour.
• Provides even impact absorption from all directions.
• Securely fits around columns
• Effective in cold environments as low as -40 degrees
• Installed in minutes
• Low purchase and installation costs
• Lowest replacement cost in the market

The unique patented modular design makes Protect-it MAXI™ expandable to fit an infinite combination of sizes and shapes.

• Available in 20” and 40” heights.
• Fits any column size beginning with 4” and increasing in 1” increments to fit any shape including SQUARE, RECTANGULAR, “H” SECTION, “I” Section, ROUND.
• Also can be used to protect WALLS of any shape.
• The entire range is derived from only one SKU called a MAXIPAC (20 Maxi’s and 8 pins).
• For bigger columns just purchase more kits and connect them together.