Securing Pallet Rack – Significant Safety and Savings
By MHI Industry Group, ProGMA
Whether you work in supply chain or not, most people are pretty familiar with rack being involved in warehousing. What fewer people are aware of, however, is that when you install rack in a material handling environment, you also need to install rack guard protection systems.
Now, these systems go by many names depending on the type of guarding the system has installed, but properly installed guarding has a purpose – to protect your equipment, product, and workers from damage or injury. OSHA requires employers to “Provide a workplace free from serious recognized hazards and comply with standards, rules and regulations issued under the OSHA Act,” which rack guard protection systems can do by keeping products from falling off and causing injury or product damage.
Rack guard also has significant benefits on protecting your ROI. Properly installed rack guarding can:
- • Protect against product shrinkage caused by theft
- • Contain/catch fallen product
- • Protect against product falling between pallet racks
Additionally, depending on your guarding solution, full enclosure options are available for controlled and secure locations. Guarding can allow for product segregation within the warehouse while still creating accessible guarding solutions for those areas, so guarding is not only protective, but can have operational benefits for your warehouse.
Rack guarding comes in many variations and materials, so talk to an expert to find the right solution for your space. Rack guarding is flexible, but the need for it is not. Visit mhi.org/progma to find our industry leading members and start the guarding conversation today.
