Cantilever racks are a must-have item in most warehouses because they offer a wide storage capacity. You can also use these racks to store just about anything, from medium-sized items to large ones and even awkwardly shaped items.
Still, even with all the benefits that a cantilever rack has to offer, it can also be a safety hazard, especially when safety precautions aren’t followed. Carelessly using this racking system can damage goods and even cause workers to get injured. To avoid these issues, it’s very important to know the different safety tips to follow. We’ve put some of them together in this article, so you can read to know how to ensure that cantilever racks don’t end up being a big problem.
Safety Precautions for Using Cantilever Racks
Inspect cantilever racks
Cantilever racks are used to store heavy items, so you need to inspect them. Experts recommend that you check your racking system at least once a year. While inspecting, you should look out for damaged parts (posts, arms, bases), stuck rack, loose bolts, or other hardware. Once it looks like a part of the racking system has been compromised, ensure you fix it as soon as possible. If it isn’t something you can fix, you should replace it.
Increase floor space
Cantilever racks need more space for workers and operators to maneuver while storing and offloading items. Ensure there’s enough aisle space so that loads don’t brush up against cantilever arms and cause accidents.
Ensure the load is stable
Since cantilever racks are used to store long and heavy loads, you have to ensure that they fit perfectly on the extended arms of the racking system. An unstable load is a disaster waiting to happen. To combat this, you should add more arms to the rack to prevent sagging, and you can also add special attachments to forklifts to help with storing and lifting loads.
Gently place loads on cantilever arms
This is one mistake that many forklift drivers make, and it’s one of the most dangerous errors to make while using the racking system. When loading or offloading items, be careful not to let the goods hit the arm of the cantilever. Also, ensure that you gently place the item on the arms of the rack and make them evenly distributed on the rack. Placing loads unevenly on a cantilever rack will put stress on its arms, and this can cause these arms to fall out of their connectors. This will also be the case if you push against the arms of a cantilever while offloading items, so you also have to be careful while you’re doing that.
Conclusion
These are some safety precautions you should practice while using a cantilever rack. Much more than that, cantilever racks used outdoors should be well sheltered from weather elements. They should also be well anchored into solid surfaces, as doing that all it can adequately hold heavy appliances.
Once you can follow most of these rules, you can rest assured that you won’t have to deal with frequent accidents in your warehouse.
