Pallet Rack: Anchoring, Safety and OSHA Compliance Factors
Racks must be safe from the ground up
Warehouses use pallet racks because they maximize storage space, streamline operations, and organize inventory like no other system. We discuss rack safety in depth because it’s so critical for protecting people, property, inventory and facilities. A rack safety fundamental is anchoring: the right anchors, installed correctly, into a subfloor designed for that purpose. Think of the floor-rack connection as the very basis of your rack’s balance and capacity.
The importance of anchoring your racks
Unanchored racks are much more likely to tip, bend or drop a load. Because rack collapses are extremely dangerous to warehouse workers the first place many rack inspections start is at the floor-footer connection.
Read more: The Warehouse Manager’s Guide to Walking Around: Pallet Racks
Anchoring pallet racks is not just a good practice; it is a fundamental safety requirement for warehouses and distribution centers. The consequences of failing to anchor racks can be severe, posing risks to both personnel and inventory. Here are some key reasons why pallet rack anchoring is crucial:
Racks lack structural integrity unless properly anchored
Anchoring ensures the structural stability of pallet racks. You cannot safely operate an unanchored pallet rack. Racks hold significant loads, and without proper anchoring, they become unstable, increasing the risk of collapse. They are extremely vulnerable to tipping accidents because so much weight is elevated off the floor and in the air where lateral forces can tip the entire structure.
The top priority: protecting people from collapses and falling items
An unanchored rack poses serious danger to warehouse personnel because it’s much more likely to collapse. If a rack collapses, it can result in severe injuries or even fatalities, not to mention the secondary accidents caused by falling inventory. Even a minor collapse can drop a pallet, or a heavy load from a pallet, into an aisle where it may hit someone. When a load weighs 50 pounds and falls from 15 feet high, that impact can be lethal.
Rules for rack anchoring
- Bolt your racks to a specified, safe floor to ensure safety.
- Anchor every column–no exceptions.
- Be cautious with slab expansion joints. Consult an engineer or your rack company in those situations.
- Use one anchor per base plate, but check manufacturer specifications and local building codes for safety.
- Choose the anchor type recommended by your rack manufacturer
Damage to product, racks and facilities
While personnel safety is always a top priority, the cost of damaged products, racks and facilities can’t be overlooked. Collapses and rack tipping will destroy expensive inventory. That’s before you must replace the rack and repair any building damage.
Properly anchored racks help prevent damage to stored goods. Inadequately secured racks can collapse, lean and tip over, which leads to product loss and damage. This is especially costly for businesses with high-value or fragile inventory.
One of the first things to do after any rack issue – like a forklift collision – is to check the anchors. Forklift impacts transmit force through the structure right down to the footers, floor and anchors. After an accident, always check your anchors to ensure they are still tight, safe and effective.
OSHA’s point of view on rack anchoring
The primary goal of OSHA guidelines is to prevent workplace accidents and injuries, and with the surge in warehousing, it’s no surprise they’re paying more attention to the sector. The agency doesn’t specifically require anchoring, or any particular types of anchors, or type of floor. However, that won’t protect any operation that fails to correctly anchor from citations when the rack isn’t adequately anchored. OSHA has used several broader rule sets to cite employers.
The agency has fined companies in the past for failing to comply with ANSI’s pallet rack standards and may in the future.
How to avoid citations for unsafe pallet rack anchoring
- Anchor your racks to ANSI/RMI standards at all points—the aisle and interior columns.
- Anchor all racks — even shorter ones.
- Work only with experienced and reputable installers who can guide you through the process and know the ins and outs of rack systems.
- Use the type of and size of anchors cited by your rack manufacturer — usually 5/8″ or 1/2″ diameter anchors embedded to manufacturer specification for safety.
- Make no assumptions. If a question lingers, consult the rack manufacturer.
- Always understand any specific seismic or other compliance codes.
- While you may not need to install anchors to match footplate holes, you should always comply with the manufacturer’s load and application drawings. RMI 4.2 states that each column must have at least one anchor, but the specification is more important than that guidance.
- If you have an unused anchor hole, install a wedge anchor at a distance equal to 3 bolt diameters, center-to-center. If you correctly fill the extra hole, you can be closer: 1.5 bolt diameters.
Loaded pallet racks are extremely heavy, but weight alone cannot not hold a rack down if the rack isn’t correctly anchored
Anchor selection
Wedge anchors are the most common rack anchors and work for most applications. They look like standard bolts except for the taper that lets them fit tightly into the hole. That tapered end inducts into a metal sleeve and expands to fit the bolt space when tightened. Make sure that both your bolt and hole size match manufacturer’s specifications for the rack installation.
Note: wedge anchors are permanent. If you need to move the rack later, the bolt will need to be cut. Many rack applications are long-term and don’t frequently need to be moved. However, if you anticipate more frequent changes, consider another method if that works for your rack system.
Strike anchors are impact-expanding for concrete installations. They must fit the hole exactly.
Screw and sleeve anchors: Warehouses and pallet rack applications don’t typically utilize these anchors. Consider these only if your rack manufacturer specifies them. You can also use adhesive anchors, which install similarly to wedge anchors, but have the drill hole filled with epoxy before bolt insertion. Again, check with your manufacturers’ specs before substituting any type of anchor.
A note on safe rack installation. When you drill holes into concrete with tools like rotary hammer drills, impact drills, and other tools, you will likely throw off significant amounts of respirable crystalline silica dust. Follow OSHA’s fact sheet to minimize this issue and help keep installers safe.
Anchoring pallet racks is a non-negotiable aspect of warehouse safety and efficiency
Failing to anchor racks can—probably will—result in catastrophic accidents, injuries, inventory damage, and significant financial losses. Safety should always be the top priority in any warehouse, and anchoring pallet racks is a fundamental step in achieving that goal. Bolting down pallet racks is not as simple as inserting a couple of screws. It’s a precise activity that should be undertaken with care by certified professionals. Doing it wrong wastes time and resources, fails to secure the rack, and leaves you with a damaged floor. It’s much easier to install the rack the right way from the very start than to deal with the consequences when things go wrong.
More on pallet racks and warehouse safety
- How Beam Loading Methods Affect Capacities
- Pallet Rack Inspection Guide
- How to Prevent Pallet Rack Push-Through Accidents
Tags: warehousing, storage, Safety & Ergonomics
Scott Stone is Cisco-Eagle's Vice President of Marketing with more than thirty years of experience in material handling, warehousing and industrial operations. His work is published in multiple industry journals an websites on a variety of warehousing topics. He writes about automation, warehousing, safety, manufacturing and other areas of concern for industrial operations and those who operate them.