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What you should know about racking legislation

22 October 2024

EVERY BUSINESS director has a responsibility to provide good governance and manage employee rights. This includes taking steps to protect employees from potential health risks in the workplace.

However, introduce an industry which typically falls in the top ten most dangerous work environments like manufacturing or logistics and the need to keep safety at the forefront becomes paramount.

Many factors contribute towards making factories and warehouses dangerous places to work. The environment is busy with vehicles and employees constantly moving around. There are risks from trips and falls alongside incorrect manual handling. On top of that, with racking rising above workers’ heads, there is the potential of falls from height.

For company directors, there is a lot to be aware of and you need to ensure you meet health and safety across the whole warehouse. However, head out to the internet and the advice can be confusing, especially when the advice is driven by a business looking to sell their products. 

As a leading voice in the storage equipment industry, the Storage Equipment Manufacturers Association (SEMA), takes an impartial viewpoint on the guidance covering your racking. We advise warehouse owners on the best steps towards racking safety and what legislation they should follow to ensure they meet their obligations.

What are my racking legal requirements?

The first thing to be aware of is that most guidance covering racking is not a legal requirement. Most of the guidance covers Health & Safety advice issued by the HSE. You do not have to follow the guidance but implementing their steps is normally enough to ensure you meet your requirements.

Failure to demonstrate you have implemented required Health & Safety elements and the fines can be excessive. In 2022, the top five fines from the HSE hit the million-pound mark and, year on year, these keep increasing. 

You should also be aware that some legislation falls under the construction category. Racking projects can be classed as a construction project and, as the warehouse owner, it makes you responsible for ensuring the project is planned, constructed and completed safely in accordance with CDM 2015.

Warehouse health and safety legislation

As a multi-faceted environment, there are several Health and Safety documents which cover the day-to-day running of a warehouse. 

This isn’t an exhaustive list, but the main documents are:

  • Health and Safety at Work Act 1974
  • Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations, 1999
  • Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations, 1992
  • Manual Handling Operations Regulations, 1992 
  • Lifting Operations and Lifting Equipment Regulations 1998
  • Work at Height Regulations, 2005 
  • Provision and Use of Work Equipment, 1998 
  • Construction Design and Management Regulations 2015 

Racking guidance 

The documents above cover health and safety legislation that applies to most warehouse and manufacturing businesses. However, for anyone who has racking at their site, some guidelines specifically relate to working in areas with storage equipment. 

  • HSG76 Warehousing and Storage: A Guide to Health and Safety covers all stages of the racking including manual and mechanical handling, site transport and working at height. It also emphasises warehouse owners' responsibilities to ensure best practice and general prevention to avoid risks and hazards.
  • SEMA Codes are critical in ensuring products are designed, installed, maintained, and repaired to conform to quality standards and safety requirements. Through the work of our technical committee, SEMA has led on best safety practices and many of our technical publications, Design Codes and guidance documents are acknowledged across the industry.

It is not a legal requirement to follow these guidance documents. However, if you fail to meet your legislative requirements and HSE were to take enforcement action they can use the HSG76 and SEMA Design Codes frameworks to bring action against your business.

Racking design

As an engineered structure the design of your racking must fulfil set criteria to ensure the structure is suitable for its intended purpose. HSG76 states that "Racking systems should be of good mechanical construction, of sound material, adequate strength and installed and maintained in accordance with the manufacturer’s instructions".

When designing your racking, suppliers should conform to either SEMA Design Codes or EN 15512. Both are industry-acceptable standards which instruct on the structural analysis of racking, what types of loads to consider, how to test components and what safety factors are required when designing equipment.

Racking installation

HSG76 very clearly stipulates key considerations for the installation of your racking and states that "Racking should be erected on sound, level floors, capable of withstanding the point loading at each base plate. Aisles should also be wide enough to ensure that mechanical handling equipment can easily manoeuvre." It also asks that "The racking should only be installed by competent people in accordance with the manufacturer’s instructions".

To help business owners meet HSG76 and CDM2015 requirements, SEMA developed the Storage Equipment Installers Registration Scheme (SEIRS). The training programme is designed to raise standards at the point of installation and instruct installers on the correct methods in line with SEMA standards. SEIRS is also referenced in HSG76. 

To improve standards, site managers of main and principal contractors may also require contractors to hold a CSCS card. Being a cardholder is a quick way of checking the qualifications of contractors on their site. Racking installation is a skilled trade and, to meet requirements, racking installers should only hold a SEIRS CSCS card which is available only through SEIRS.

Racking usage

Once in place, you are responsible for ensuring you check your racking and shelving and damage is recorded and actioned. HSG76 recommends nominating a "person responsible for racking safety (PRRS)" who will ensure a visual inspection is conducted regularly and maintain a written record of the findings. The PRRS will also ensure a Load Notice is fixed to the racking and that the maximum load is never exceeded.

As referenced in HSG76, a rack safety awareness course is available through SEMA which not only trains for the role of PRRS but ensures anyone working in areas with racking can identify and report damage.

Inspection

The inspection process, in accordance with PUWER, must be completed via an Expert Inspection which is conducted at least once a year. HSG76 states the inspection must be "carried out by a technically competent person". Their written report should be submitted to the PRRS with observations and proposals for any necessary remedial work.

To assist the industry SEMA runs the SEMA Approved Racking Inspector (SARI) initiative. To achieve their qualification, attendees must pass an intensive three-day training course, written exam, and practical assessment. 

If repairs are identified in your Expert Inspection, take a cautious approach when choosing a company to undertake the work. Check your supplier works to SEMA guidance and manufacturer’s specifications otherwise, it could impact heavily on your equipment’s safety and result in expensive remedial costs.

If you need help meeting industry requirements, get in touch with one of our SEMA Members. Their work covers each crucial stage of your racking’s lifetime. More importantly, each member must submit to an independent assessment to check they meet our exacting quality and safety standards. 

Storage Equipment Manufacturers Association

Tel: +44 (0)1543 278489 

Email: enquiry@sema.org.uk

Web: sema.org.uk

 
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