How much do the safety margins and the carrying capacity f a racking decrease after damage?

Marco CazzinIn depth Analysis

Most of the damage to warehouse equipment is caused by impact by the fork lift or other types of incidents with moving mechanical equipment.

It is necessary to remember that all damage, in one way or another, reduce the carrying capacity of the racking and their safety levels. For this reason, constant monitoring is the only solution to guarantee the safety of workers and the integrity of the merchandise.

It is possible to calculate the decrease of the carrying capacity of a racking following damage that is within the “green level”, those that do not require the immediate removal of the load.

Practical experience in the sector, with many compression tests, have highlighted a reduction of the carrying capacity that reaches 40% even in the case of minor damage.

In these cases, the resistance of the steel, usually higher than the guaranteed minimum along with a carrying capacity of the racking effectively higher than that indicated by the producer, prevent collapses.  It is necessary to pay close attention and to have a severe approach about the treatment of damage, respecting an approach that is prudential and guarantees, when possible, the rapid substitution of damaged components.