Racking Protection – Which Option is Right for You?

Not having racking protection for your industrial racking is always a false economy. At best, warehouse operations will be disrupted while repairs are carried out. At worst, a racking collapse following an impact poses a very real danger to the life of your employees.

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) and the Storage Equipment Manufacturers Association (SEMA) both strongly recommend that column guards or guide rails, which prevent forklifts or other vehicles getting too close to the main racking structure, should be installed at the exposed ends of aisles and at passageways used for movement of trucks.

There are a wide range of different products available, but they generally fall into the following categories:-

• Floor mounted ‘U’ or ‘L’ profile single upright guards
• Floor mounted end rack protection rail systems
• Floor Mounted posts or bollards
• Clip on foam or polymer collars for individual upright legs

There are also new railing systems which can be mounted on flexible shock-absorbing polyurethane pads. These allow the rail to flex up to 10° from the vertical when impacted minimising the damage to handling equipment whilst still offering the best protection for your racking.

All protectors are finished in highly visible colours which will alert materials handling & forklift operators to the safety boundaries so they can more easily avoid racking collisions.

Advantage offers solutions in all categories and is happy to come to the site to discuss your requirements and recommend the best option for your particular application and budget.