Pallet racking systems are built to withstand the harsh environment of an industrial warehouse. However, an incorrectly installed rack, no matter how well designed, will leave your stock at risk of damage and your workers at risk of injury.
Manufacturing pallet racking for over 40 years, Macrack are your Australian pallet racking specialists. We manufacture pallet racking locally in our Brisbane facility and ensure that each rack we provide is professionally installed to meet all Australian Standards.
One question that we regularly come across is “Should pallet racks be bolted to the floor?”. The short answer is, yes. Not only is proper anchorage required to comply with Australian Standards, ensuring that your racks are bolted to the floor with the correct fasteners will improve warehouse safety and protect your inventory.
Australian Standards
One of the main reasons to ensure that your pallet racks are securely bolted to the floor is to comply with Australian Standards. Australian Standards are set out with the aim to ensure that products are safe, consistent, and reliable.
The Australian Standard For Steel Storage Racking (AS4084-2023) states that two floor anchors are required per foot plate when the racking is serviced by a mechanical device such as a forklift. Additionally, wrap around foot plates must be used rather than internal footplates. This standard applies to pallet racking specifically and excludes drive in racking, cantilever racking, and racking made from materials other than steel.
The anchorage requirements of the AS4084-2023 ensures the stability and security of all compliant pallet racking systems.
Improve Warehouse Safety
Another key reason to ensure that your racks are securely anchored to the floor is to improve warehouse safety. A warehouse is a high risk environment involving the operation of machinery, lifting of heavy objects and picking and packing of stock. So it’s important that every precaution is taken to reduce the risk of worker injury and improve the safety of the warehouse.
Ensuring that your pallet racking system is securely bolted to the floor in accordance with the Australian Standards for steel storage racking is essential in improving the safety of a warehouse. As forklifts and other manual handling machinery are used to store and retrieve items from a pallet racking system, there is always a risk of a forklift colliding with the racking system. Anchoring the racks to the floor will help to reduce the risk of a racking collapse in the event of a forklift collision, protecting the forklift operator and nearby workers from injury.
Note: Pallet racking should always be inspected for structural damage after a forklift collision to prevent future racking failures.
Additionally, bolting your pallet racking to the floor can help to keep the racks sturdy in the event of a natural disaster, such as an earthquake, reducing the risk of injury to your workers.
Not sure if your racks are up to standard? Give us a call. Macrack offers pallet racking safety audits at an affordable price. We will provide you with a detailed report outlining any damage, hazards, and other issues with your racking, and let you know if your racks are up to standard.
Protect Your Inventory
Finally, properly securing your pallet racking by dyna bolting it to the floor will help to protect your inventory. In most warehouses, the majority of the warehouses’s inventory is stored in pallet racking systems. This means that if something goes wrong with the pallet racking system, a significant portion of your warehouse inventory is at risk of damage.
Properly anchoring your pallet racking with two bolts per foot plate will significantly reduce the risk of a racking failure that could potentially result in the loss of hundreds of thousands of dollars of stock and equipment.
Professionally Installed Racking With A Lifetime Guarantee
If you’re uncertain about how best to secure your racking or what the requirements for pallet racking are as outlined by Australian Standard 4084-2012, contact your racking manufacturer or provider.
Macrack offers Australian-made, professionally installed pallet racking that is built to last. In fact, we are so confident in that quality of our pallet racking systems that each of our racks come with a lifetime guarantee. Call Macrack today on 07 3343 9788 for a free quote and warehouse design.
