Steer clear of bad practices with your racking if you don’t want to end up making costly mistakes. Since your storage system impacts your warehouse productivity to a considerable degree, proper usage is a must. Here are common mistakes you should avoid.
Climbing the Rack
Provide continual safety training to your team. Everyone on your staff must know how dangerous it is for them and for the inventory if they climb in the racks to pick products. If they aren’t careful, serious injury could occur. Most warehouses ban climbing in the racks, but that doesn’t stop workers from sometimes doing so to try to reach products. Make sure to constantly communicate that it is unsafe to climb into the racking.
Overloading
Don’t put too much weight on your warehouse racking system. Racks are specially engineered structures designed to only hold a certain amount of weight. If you don’t, you’ll end up with a system that is overloaded that can result in total collapse. This can lead to warehouse downtime, lost products, worker injuries and worse.
Improper Use
Be sure to load the racks properly. Use a fork truck or type of handling equipment that your racking system is designed to work with. Don not try to store pallet loads that are different dimensions from what your rack is designed to handle.
Report Damage
When you see signs of damage, don’t put it off. It’s best that you report it so the rack manufacturer can determine whether repair or replacement is needed. Rack damage caused by handling equipment abuse is the biggest cause of rack failure. The next time you see an indication that the racking system has been harmed, get help to fix it. Don’t wait until the issue worsens and turns into a bigger problem that costs more resources to correct.
Not Knowing the Signs
Familiarize yourself with the signs that a racking system is in trouble. Aside from signs of damage, look out for product that has been stored incorrectly or any other evidence of misuse. Stay alert when you’re in the warehouse.
