When things go wrong in warehouse racking, major damage, loss of stock and life are real risks faced by all responsible parties. In Australia, this is taken very seriously and our global leadership continues to shine with recent updates to the Australian Standard for Steel Storage Racking AS4084:2012. In short, the most advanced racking standards in the world have just gotten better and in this blog, we outline some of the key changes that all responsible parties must know.

 

When One Becomes Two

The AS4084:2012 has now been split into two, allowing for increased detail and scope across the two key elements of racking:

• AS4084.1:2023 – Structural design
• AS4084.2:2023 – Installation, tolerances, clearances, operations and maintenance

 

AS4084.1:2023 –

Structural Design

Steel storage racking is a highly engineered, thin-walled storage system that must take the extreme complexity of designing safe and compliant pallet racking into account. These must support significant weight in many different environments and conditions.

 

Changes to the Standard reflect this understanding and have removed the common strength formula from buildings to introduce new calculations for wind and seismic design action. This includes:

• Load combinations to consider
• Calculations for imperfections in unbraced and braced frames
• Ways to calculate imperfections

 

These changes have had a knock-on effect for designers who now have:

• More freedom in anchor design
• A reduced requirement for testing of some parts
• Improved testing methods overall

 

This improved design methodology builds in extra layers of safety and highlights, once again, how critical it is for an experienced engineer to be involved in the system design. Without this, catastrophic dangers are a real risk.

 

AS4084.2:2023 –

Installation, Tolerances, Clearances, Operations & Maintenance

Thousands of racking inspections are conducted around Australia every year, turning up over 95,000 records of damage in Victoria alone. The development of the AS4084.2:2023 began in 2019 to address these numbers and the risks they pose.

 

Competency

The application of competency across many layers of the new standard is a key feature of the changes designed to ensure qualified individuals are involved every step of the way. The definitions are as follows:

 

Competent Person – General

A person who has acquired through training, qualification or experience the knowledge and skills to carry out the task effectively and safely.

 

Competent Person – Formal Inspections

A competent person is required to complete formal inspections as specified by the manufacturer, supplier or racking designer, which must:

• Be completed at least annually
• Documented
• Use the required checklist
• Use elevation platforms or drones for checks at height

 

Competent Person – Repairs

Given the highly engineered nature of pallet racking systems, only a competent person is authorised to undertake repairs.

 

Competent Person – Informal Inspections

Daily or weekly inspections must be conducted by a competent person either based on actual risk or at a series of intervals determined by a competent person.

 

Safety

Additional safety measures have also now been included in the Standard, including:

 

Repairs

If damage is identified, the racking system is to be unloaded immediately and a competent person is sought out to provide advice.

 

Load Charts

Cannot be handwritten and a standard size is required.

 

Inspection Records

Inspection records have to be kept for the life of the racking system to demonstrate a history of maintenance and compliance.

 

OEM Parts

Assess your risk if choosing to not use original parts.

 

WHS Legislation Applications

The WHS Act, WHS Regulations and Codes of Practice provide a framework of protection and practical guidance to facilitate the health and safety of all individuals exposed to risk within the workplace (except for Victoria, which is still operating under its own OH&S laws).

 

Steel racking falls under the duties required around plant (in addition to all other machinery, equipment and appliances) and the responsibility for adhering to the rules falls to:

• Those who are managing or controlling the plant
• Designers, manufacturers and suppliers
• Installers
• Officers

 

In these cases, the Competent Person standards apply to all efforts related to your pallet racking system.

 

Industry Compliance

Compliance means working it right, not just making it work and must be met by the racking SYSTEM in its entirety.  It’s not just about using whatever is available to store the parts. In other words, having certified or compliant racking does you no good if you misuse the pallet for an incorrect application. Consider these three methods when developing the pallet racking system suitable for your situation:

 

Positive Locking

Pallets rest on top of the racking and are locked onto the bearers to prevent sliding. A compliant pallet must be certified to bear the rated loads at the point of contact while being stored on racking beams.

 

Beam Protection

Positive locking can expose pallet racking beams to damage so special pallets have been designed with an under-rail part to help deflect fork tynes and promote quicker unloading.

 

Fit for Purpose

Understand the load rating per level of the racking and appropriate contact types for your situation. There are a variety of pallet types available to work within these requirements.

 

Daywalk’s certified, steel pallet solutions take all three of these critical elements into account and provide you with the certainty that you have matched your racking and pallet together for a total solution in alignment with the new Standards.

 

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