Maintaining your pallet rack uprights (also called frames) is a cornerstone of a robust warehouse safety program. This article will provide essential insights, safety tips, and best practices to help you enhance warehouse safety and ensure efficient operations.
Pallet rack frames bear the weight of heavy pallets and stabilize your entire racking system. Damage to these frames can compromise safety and, if left unaddressed, may lead to racking failure. Regular inspection and repair of frames involve unique challenges that require careful attention.
This article provides detailed information you need to effectively maintain your pallet rack frames and keep your warehouse safe and running smoothly.
What Are Pallet Rack Frames?
Frames are the main vertical upright components of a racking system consisting of columns, braces, and baseplates. Frames are the largest and most significant structural component of your racking system. They transfer the weight of the stored pallet loads from the beams to the floor. Ensuring that your uprights are in good condition is critical for the safety of your warehouse.
Defining Characteristics of Your Pallet Rack Frames
Frame uprights have several defining characteristics in their construction and engineering.
1. Steel Type Used in Pallet Rack Frames
Uprights are made from either structural steel or cold-formed steel. Typically, structural steel is stronger and more resistant to impact. Cold-formed steel uprights are highly optimized components, generally less expensive than structural steel, making them the most common choice for racking systems despite generally being weaker than structural steel. Cold-formed uprights come in a variety of different shapes.
2. Pallet Rack Frame Hole Patterns
The second key feature of pallet rack uprights is their hole patterns, used to attach horizontal beams to the uprights. These patterns have various names depending on their style or manufacturer, such as Teardrop, T-bolt, Speedrack, Sturdi-Built, Keystone, Paltier, and others.
3. Pallet Rack Frame Footplate Size
Every upright is engineered with a specific baseplate size. Sizes vary based on structural needs. One major factor considered is the area’s seismic activity. Areas of high seismic activity generally have larger baseplates compared to areas of lower seismic activity.
4. Frame Coating or Paint
Finally, each upright component will be finished with a coating ranging in color and type. Types of finish are paint, powder coat, and galvanization. The latter two finishes are the most impervious to rust and corrosion, as they form a chemical bond with the steel.
Proper Pallet Rack Frame Engineering
Your racking system must be designed with your storage needs in mind. How much weight and volume do you need to store? These factors determine key upright elements, including upright height, strength, and the number of beams required. Both OSHA and RMI standards mandate that your warehouse operate within the original engineering specifications of the system. Since damage can compromise the system and reduce load capacity, regular maintenance is essential to ensure compliance.
How Can Pallet Rack Systems Get Damaged?
There are numerous ways an upright, or any component of a pallet racking system, can get damaged. However, here are some of the most prominent ones:
1. Accidental Impacts
Forklift and equipment impacts can cause upright damage, as uprights are generally not designed to withstand significant impact forces. If a racking component is impacted, it should be checked for damaged components.
Due to their mass, counterbalanced forklifts can cause blunt impacts, often resulting in upright deformation, large dents, or twisting. Lift vehicle outriggers can create shearing impacts, cutting into the steel or leaving smaller, deeper dents. Pallets and products can also hit uprights during loading, potentially damaging rear upright columns or braces. Such hidden damage is hazardous, as it may go unnoticed and compromise the racking system’s integrity.
2. Improper Loads
Improper loading comes in two forms: exceeding beam weight limits and uneven loading patterns. Each beam has a specified load capacity, indicated by a label or placard. Overloading a beam level or system can cause significant safety risks.
Uprights work in pairs to support the weight on the beams, so the load must be evenly distributed. Placing heavier items on one side shifts more load to that specific upright, causing an imbalance. This can lead to upright damage, including twisting, buckling, loss of plumbness, or even failure. Proper loading practices are essential to prevent these issues.
3. Corrosion and Rust
Corrosion is a threat to metal components, especially if they lack high-quality, corrosion-resistant finishes. Humidity and chemicals in the racking environment accelerate corrosion, weakening your warehouse racking system.
To combat this, opt for highly resistant finishes like powder coating or galvanizing, which chemically bond with the steel for lasting protection. Standard paint, which doesn’t chemically bind to the steel, can wear off.
Corrosion also impacts steel fasteners used in beam connectors, splicing connectors, and anchor bolts. To ensure durability, choose stainless steel or zinc-plated fasteners designed to resist corrosion.
4. Upright Hole Damage
It is also possible for the upright holes to become deformed or sheared. This is a subtle form of damage. If a bay has been irregularly loaded or received a severe impact, the column holes can be damaged and should not be reused.
How can I inspect my pallet rack frames for damage?
Every warehouse manager should know how to identify damage that needs inspection and repair. Workers should also be trained and empowered to spot damage so it can be addressed promptly. Damotech’s practical guide is a helpful tool for quickly identifying potential issues in your uprights.
Once damage is detected, contact a qualified inspector immediately to begin the repair process. Internal inspections are useful but should not replace formal safety inspections. Regularly scheduled inspections are essential to thoroughly assess your racking system, uncover hidden damage, and ensure safety.
Here are the upright-specific items that should be inspected and what level of damage should initiate a repair. Remember that this list is not a complete pallet rack inspection but is limited to upright damage.
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Severe Corrosion: This is where the corrosion has penetrated the steel. Pay special attention to the welds, as these joints can rust faster than the rest of the upright and are usually in critical strength-providing locations. Pay attention to parts that have lost their surface coating.
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Brace Damage: Look for twisting, deformation, and shearing.
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Upright Damage: Again, look for twisting, buckling, deformation, and shearing.
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Fastener and Punch Hole Damage: Look for loose anchor bolts, brace connectors, and beam connections. All these fasteners contribute to strength. Examine column holes for damage if beams have suffered damage.
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Uprights Out of Plumb: If an upright leans 1/2" or more at a height of 10 feet, it should be made plumb.
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Footplate Damage: Look for corrosion, shearing, twisting, deflection, or anchor issues.
Schedule Routine Pallet Rack Inspections
Remember to schedule routine professional inspections for your racking systems. Do this regularly to keep your warehouse safe and running at its maximum efficiency. Depending on your facilities’ use patterns, regular annual inspections are the norm. Contact Damotech to schedule annual pallet rack inspections.
Repairing Pallet Rack Frames
OSHA and RMI mandate that damaged racks beyond acceptable thresholds must be unloaded and removed from service until repairs are made or the damaged components are replaced. Damage compromises the safety of the racking system, endangering personnel and risking an OSHA violation.
According to RMI guidelines, repairs must be performed by a trained professional and supervised by a professional engineer familiar with the racking system’s design and construction.
This article will explore the two main options for pallet rack repair.
1. OEM Part Replacement Method
The first option is to replace uprights with exact OEM (Original Equipment Manufacturer) parts, which ensures compliance with engineering specifications. However, this approach has some drawbacks.
Replacing a damaged upright requires unloading the bays on both sides, which means finding temporary storage for all the pallets—taking up valuable floor or rack space. Afterward, the beams must be removed, and the damaged upright changed. Once a new OEM part is installed, the beams are reattached, and the pallets can be reloaded onto the bays.
This process can be disruptive, time-consuming, and costly. Moreover, the replacement upright lacks added impact resistance, making it prone to future damage and repeated replacements.
2. Pallet Rack Repair Kit
Repairing your uprights with Damotech-engineered frame repair kits is a more sustainable solution. These kits offer faster repairs and long-term protection. They are engineered to meet the original specifications of your racking system, ensuring durability and compliance.
Damotech repair kits provide an alternative option to replacing your uprights. Our repair and installation process is faster and more convenient, often eliminating the need for extensive offloading or upright disassembly. Using Damotech’s proprietary pallet rack jack, technicians can lift the upright without entirely unloading your products. This allows damaged parts to be safely removed and replaced.
An engineered Damotech repair kit is then bolted onto the existing upright. Once the repair is complete, the jack is lowered and removed, restoring the upright to full functionality. This efficient process offers significant benefits in time, safety, and durability.
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Damotech can typically repair your upright frames with minimal offloading.
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Built-in protection options can protect against future damage.
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Damotech baseplate anchors are generally larger and provide new anchor point locations, so damaged concrete holes are not reused.
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Damotech repair kits work with all racking brands, types, and punch styles.
Damotech’s adjustable brace repair kit can also replace damaged or missing bracing. This solution preserves your rack’s original configuration and load capacity, ensuring safety and compliance. It also features a weld-free design, eliminating the risk of weld degradation from vibration or impact and further enhancing durability and reliability. To get detailed insight into choosing the right pallet rack repair parts, check out this article.
Protecting Pallet Racking Systems
Another best practice to keep your warehouse safe and efficient is installing pallet rack guards on your uprights. These guards come in different styles:
End-of-aisle guards are heavy-duty steel barriers that protect uprights and exposed upright sides in high-traffic aisle areas. They are a wise investment in warehouse safety and efficiency.
Column guards are built from structural steel for maximum protection and impact resistance. Each guard uses independent floor anchor bolts, transferring impacts to the floor instead of the upright.
Dock door rack guards protect your dock door pallet rack uprights from damage caused by forklifts, pallet jacks, and debris, preventing costly emergency repairs. Their heavy-gauge construction and V-nose ends offer strong defense for front upright posts.
Pallet rack frame guards maximize safety and efficiency by preventing damage where it is most likely to occur. They also prevent delay, repair expenses, and storage loss. As such, they are a wise investment in safety and efficiency.
ANSI Standards for Pallet Racking Systems
American National Standards Institute (ANSI) has developed and released specific rules for using industrial systems and components. Regarding pallet racking systems, ANSI has set out ANSI MH16.1, which refers to repairing and inspecting your racking uprights. The standards state the following:
“Owners shall maintain the structural integrity of the installed storage rack system by assuring proper operational, housekeeping, and maintenance procedures…” i.e., the owner of a pallet racking system is entirely responsible for maintaining its integrity.
“Upon identification of such [damages], the owner shall immediately isolate the affected portions of the industrial storage rack system and initiate a mitigative response, such as repair or replacement of the affected portions of the rack system. Before allowing the storage rack system to be placed back into service, a registered design professional shall certify that the storage rack system and/or the repaired components have been restored to at least their original design capacity.” i.e., when you notice a portion of your racking system is damaged to the point where it needs a repair, you need to unload it immediately. You’re not allowed to use that specific portion of the system for loading until you get it repaired and recertified.
Conclusion: Protecting and Maintaining Your Pallet Rack Frames
Uprights are critical to any pallet racking system. They transfer heavy pallet loads to the floor and maintain the structural integrity of your racking systems. However, uprights can be affected by impacts, poor materials, corrosion, or uneven loads. Damage should be addressed immediately to ensure the safety and functionality of your warehouse. Request a FREE rack damage assessment here.
While some damage may be visible, other issues can go unnoticed. Professional inspections on a regular basis are essential, especially after impacts or other incidents that could compromise the structural integrity of the racking system. You can easily schedule an inspection with Damotech using our online form.
Damotech produces customized repair kits and pallet rack guards tailored to your racking systems. Our team can professionally inspect and repair the necessary components with minimal disruption to your operations, keeping your warehouse safe and efficient. For more information, contact us.
