What a Professional SARI Pallet Racking Inspection Involves

A SARI racking inspection is designed to help warehouse operations to remain compliant with health and safety legislation, to maintain their insurance coverage and to protect their workforce from accidents and injuries.

Why racking inspections are necessary

Storage solutions such as pallet racking are pivotal to the operational efficiency of warehouses across the UK. They enable inventory to be safely stored and easily accessed as needed, but in order to protect the workforce from hazards such as stack collapses and vehicle collisions, they must be designed for the environment, professionally installed and routinely inspected to ensure they remain safe and stable.

For quality assurance and legal compliance reasons, it is recommended that independent safety audits are conducted by an informal third party on at least an annual basis, and the Health and Safety Executive's guidance document HSG76 further clarifies that this informal third party should be a technically competent individual, such as a SARI inspector.

What is a SARI inspector?

A SARI inspector is a SEMA Approved Racking Inspector - an individual who has been specially trained and is accredited by the Storage Equipment Manufacturers Association (SEMA) to perform expert racking inspections for warehouse operators, helping them to satisfy their legal duties, safeguard their workforce and demonstrate their commitment to continuous improvement.

What happens during a pallet rack inspection?

Initial site review

SARI inspectors follow a specific process in which they evaluate the integrity, compliance and condition of warehouse racking systems. They begin with a site walkthrough in which they familiarise themselves with the environment and its operation. They will identify the types of racking that are installed, the access arrangements for each and note any recent incidents or near misses that have been recorded.

Inspection of racking components

They will then perform a thorough visual and physical assessment of the racking components, including the uprights and frames, beams and connectors, bracing systems and footplates, clips, pins and safety equipment. They will be checking that the racking is free from dents or bends which may adversely influence the structural integrity of the storage solutions, check that it is securely fixed to the floor, that it is stable and straight, securely connected and has no corrosion, cracking or other types of damage that could reduce its stability, strength or security.

Load notices and weight compliance

The inspector will then check that legible and up to date load notices and labels are affixed to each section of racking and verify that the loads do not exceed the stated weight limits and are properly positioned for even weight distribution.

Assessment of the surrounding environment

They will assess the wider environment to identify risk factors that could place undue wear and tear on the racking systems in use, or compromise their efficacy, such as evidence of forklift collisions, floor conditions and untreated moisture ingress, which could lead to corrosion.

Damage classification and reporting

The inspector will use a traffic light reporting system to classify their findings, with green noting the presence of minor damage but no need for interventions, amber noting damage that needs attention at the earliest opportunity and red where an immediate shutdown is needed to prevent health and safety risks from materialising.

Inspection report and compliance confirmation

Following the inspection, the SARI inspector will produce an inspection report documenting in writing and photographing any issues identified, their risk classification and recommendations for corrective action. They will also include a summary detailing whether the business is currently compliant with the Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998 and the Health and Safety Executive's warehousing and storage guide to health and safety.

What businesses should do with this report

The SARI racking inspection report is essential for businesses to demonstrate that they have performed due diligence and must be safely stored as it will form part of their health and safety legal compliance audit trail. It may also be necessary to submit a copy of this report to insurance companies to maintain the validity of the business' insurance policies.

Businesses must act on the findings in the report, remedying all identified defects at the earliest opportunity to protect their workers from potential harm and formally recording the actions they have taken to maintain an audit trail, demonstrate compliance and prevent defects from escalating. They should also train on-site personnel to conduct regular visual inspections of storage solutions to identify problems early.