Racking inspection checklist for in-house checks
Racking inspection checklist for in-house checks
An in-house racking inspection checklist should cover uprights, bracing, beams and safety locks, baseplates and floor fixings, load notices and loading, accessories and protection, and aisle housekeeping. A trained person, usually the Person Responsible for Racking Safety (PRRS), should walk it weekly or at the interval your risk assessment sets, and every check should be dated and recorded.
Below is a 20-point checklist you can copy, how to measure bends with a straight edge, what to do when you find damage, and what the records need to show. It sits between immediate damage reporting by staff and the annual expert inspection described in our guide to pallet racking inspection and UK rules.
Key takeaways
- Weekly in-house checks are the middle layer of the three-level regime recommended by HSE and SEMA.
- The person doing them should be trained; SEMA's one-day Racking Safety Awareness course is aimed at this role.
- Use a 1 m straight edge on any bent upright or brace and compare the gap with the SEMA limits.
- Record every check, even when nothing is found: PUWER requires results to be kept until the next inspection.
- In-house checks do not replace the annual expert inspection.
Who should carry out in-house racking checks?
The PRRS, or a deputy they have trained. SEMA's guide says the HSE recommends appointing one employee to this role, responsible for day-to-day safe operation, inspection records and damage trends, with the authority to take action (SEMA, guide to pallet racking inspections). The HSE describes a competent inspector as someone who knows what to look at, what to look for and what to do about it (HSE, inspection of work equipment).
SEMA's Racking Safety Awareness course is a one-day course for warehouse staff covering safe operation, load notices and in-house inspection, and it is referenced in HSG76 (SEMA, Racking Safety Awareness). Sites with cantilever racking need the separate cantilever version.
How often should the checklist be used?
Weekly is the usual starting point. SEMA's technical FAQ says documented inspections should be at weekly or other intervals based on a risk assessment, and describes a supervisor walking the racking at a normal walking pace with records kept. Also use the checklist:
- After any reported impact, before the bay is reloaded.
- After beam levels are changed or bays are added.
- Before a new installation is first loaded, alongside the installer's handover.
- When new truck types or new drivers start working in an area.
The 20-point racking inspection checklist
Work aisle by aisle, both faces of each run, starting at floor level where most impact damage occurs. Note the location of every finding by aisle, run, bay, level and front or rear upright.
| Area | What to check |
|---|---|
| Uprights | Dents, bends or twists, especially in the bottom 1 m and at aisle ends |
| Splits, tears or creases in the steel | |
| Upright visibly out of plumb | |
| Bracing | Bent, kinked or missing diagonal and horizontal braces |
| Loose or missing brace bolts | |
| Beams and locks | Visible bends, twisting or a beam that stays bent when unloaded |
| Distorted beam connectors or cracked welds at the end plate | |
| Missing safety locks in any beam end | |
| Beam levels moved from the positions on the load notice | |
| Baseplates and floor | Missing, loose or lifted floor anchors |
| Bent or cracked baseplates; packing shims that have moved | |
| Cracked or broken floor slab around baseplates | |
| Load notices and loading | Load notice present, legible, in colour and matching the rack |
| Pallet weights within the beam-pair and bay loads shown | |
| Pallets sitting squarely on both beams with even overhang | |
| No damaged pallets in use | |
| Accessories and protection | Mesh decks, pallet support bars and row spacers present and seated |
| Upright guards and end barriers in place and undamaged | |
| Aisles and housekeeping | Aisles clear of stored goods, wrap and debris |
| Floor markings visible; no items stored on the floor in front of bays |
Beams and load notices carry the most checks because errors there are invisible from a distance. A missing safety lock or a beam moved up one level looks like a normal bay until something lifts it from below. Beam positions matter because the load notice is based on them: SEMA explains that notices should show the height to the first beam level and the spacing between beams, and that if either is exceeded the permitted bay load falls and the supplier must be asked for revised data (SEMA Technical Bulletin 07). Compare the bays in front of you with the notice on every walk, not only once a year. For the content of the notice itself, see pallet racking load notices: what they must show.
Accessories matter more than they look. Missing mesh decking or pallet support bars on a level designed for them changes how loads sit on the beams, and missing row spacers let back-to-back frames move apart.
How do you measure a bent upright?
Hold a 1 m straight edge against the flat face of the upright, centred on the bend, and measure the largest gap between the straight edge and the steel. Repeat on the other face, because the limit depends on the direction of the bend. SEMA's recommended maximum distortion over a 1,000 mm length is 3 mm or 5 mm for uprights depending on direction, and 10 mm for bracing (Warehouse News). Damage more than twice those limits is red risk (Logistics Matters).
Measurement does not cover everything. A split, tear or crease is a defect at any size, and a bend at the very base of an upright, close to the baseplate, deserves extra attention because that is where the frame is most heavily loaded. Our guide to racking damage red, amber and green explains each category and response. If you are not sure, treat the item as the higher category and ask your expert inspector.
What should you do when you find damage?
Act on the grade, then record it. INDG412 says that where damage affects safety the racking should be offloaded and controls put in place to prevent use until remedial work is done (HSE, INDG412).
- Stop loading the affected bay and tell the PRRS straight away.
- Grade the damage using the straight-edge readings and visual checks.
- Red: offload and isolate now. Amber: empty the affected positions and do not refill.
- Fit a dated label and a physical barrier to the isolated area.
- Log the item, order replacement parts and record the repair date when done.
Repeat damage at the same uprights is a design signal, not bad luck. Fitting guards from our rack protection and accessories range, or widening a turn at an aisle end, will usually cost less than repeated replacement frames.
What records should you keep?
PUWER requires inspection results to be recorded and kept until the next inspection (PUWER, regulation 6). The HSE accepts electronic records if they are secure and available to an inspector on request (HSE, inspection of work equipment). A useful weekly record holds:
- Date, inspector's name and the aisles covered.
- A line for each finding with location, grade and action.
- A clear entry when an area was checked and nothing was found.
- Cross-references to repairs completed since the last check.
Over time this log shows damage trends, which is exactly what SEMA expects the PRRS to monitor. The expert inspector will ask to see it.
What in-house checks do not cover
Weekly checks look for damage and misuse. They are not designed to confirm that the equipment is suitable for the loads, that mixed components are compatible, or that the load notices match the design. Those are part of the annual expert inspection, which HSG76 sets at intervals of not more than 12 months.
Frequently asked questions
Do in-house checks need to be written down?
Yes. PUWER requires inspection results to be recorded and kept until the next inspection. Record checks where nothing was found as well as those with findings.
What tools do we need for a weekly racking check?
A 1 m straight edge, a ruler or feeler gauge to measure the gap, a torch, labels and barrier tape for isolating bays, and the checklist itself. A copy of the load notices and layout drawing is useful too.
Can any member of staff do the weekly check?
It should be a trained person, normally the PRRS or a deputy. SEMA's one-day Racking Safety Awareness course is designed for this.
What should we do about a missing beam safety lock?
Stop loading that level and fit a replacement lock before the beam is used again. Use locks from the racking supplier that match the beam connector, and record the item, because missing locks are a common finding on expert inspections.
Does a weekly check replace the annual SARI inspection?
No. In-house checks look for damage and misuse. The annual expert inspection also checks suitability, compatibility and load notices against the design.
If your weekly checks keep finding damage in the same places, send us your layout and we will quote replacement parts and protection with a drawing.
Sources
- SEMA: Guide to pallet racking inspections
- SEMA: Technical FAQ
- SEMA: Racking Safety Awareness course
- HSE: Inspection of work equipment
- legislation.gov.uk: Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998, regulation 6
- HSE: Warehousing and storage, keep it safe (INDG412)
- Warehouse News: A simple racking damage measure
- Logistics Matters: Rack inspections, green risk doesn't mean no risk (SEMA Technical Committee)
- SEMA: Technical Bulletin 07, load notices
