For further information or to discuss your rack certification project in detail, contact:

Jim Adriaensen,
Senior Structural Engineer

(705) 743-5551 x214
jim@steelworksdesign.com

A mainstay of warehouses, distribution centres, manufacturing and retail facilities, storage and pallet racking has become an almost onmipresent industrial structure. While built to shoulder incredible loads, they are nonetheless susceptible to damage from lift trucks, overloading, age, and even neglect. With numerous styles of racking currently in use, understanding the provenance and capabilities of your specific design, its ongoing state of repair, and the legal obligations of proper maintenance, loading, and inspection are imperative.

Steelworks Design works closely with clients to navigate the challenges inherent in the certification process. With a thorough understanding of both the engineering and the standards and practices, we provide the confidence that once certified, your racking is not only compliant, but suited to your operations.

While its easy to assume racking that has stood in place for years without incident will continue to do so, the ramifications of dismissing the certification process can be significant. Risks to employee health and safety including death, damage to facility and inventory, operational and manufacturing disruptions. The legal ramifications are no less significant and can incur significant financial and operational penalties. However, while there’s no shortage of impetus to obtain proper rack certification, the procedure can muddy quickly when proper documentation doesn’t exist.

Establishing the status of your racking is a crucial first step. In the absence of proper documentation of a rack’s design and load capabilities, you may be required to undergo a Pre-Start Health & Safety Review (PSHR) prior to certification. A PSHR may also be required if modifications or repairs have been performed, or if the facility employs lift trucks. Some facilities can perform the PSHR in-house, while others would benefit from our involvement at this early stage.

The services we offer are designed to cover the fundamentals of rack certification, and have been refined over the past decade to deliver client trust and regulatory compliance:

• Pre-Start Health and Safety Reviews (PSHR)
• Certification of existing racking
• Permits for slab on grade
• Layout drawings and documentation
• Engineering seals for manufacturers and fabricators
• Certifications for rack-mounted mezzanines
• In existing rack structures where damage, corrosion or installation issues may adversely impact load capacity, we draw on our in-house engineering and fabrication services to manufacture and install remedial details.

With appropriately scheduled in-house inspections, absence of damage or modification, and barring changes to standards or codes, certification can remain valid for the life of the racking system. Implementing concise operating procedures for rack safety and maintenance ensures that responsibility for employee safety and well-being of capital assets is well-defined.