In every warehouse around the world, there is most likely going to be pallet racks for storing items.  Pallet racks offer the versatility of storing items vertically and hold a high capacity to make the most of warehouse storage space.  Millions of dollars of product can be stored on pallet racks, so it is crucial to protect that product from getting damaged.  One way to protect your pallet racking is with pallet rack post protectors.

Impact damage is one of the most common causes of pallet racking collapses.  Pallet racking upright protectors make your pallet racks less likely to collapse and help your employees and business safe from injury and damage.  Often times businesses buy pallet rack post protectors after the damaged has already been done. So, it is important to take preventive action and help set up safety measures before the damage occurs.

What Are Pallet Rack Post Protectors?

Pallet rack post protectors are a protective device that goes in front or around pallet racking columns to protect it from impact damaged. Warehouse racking is typically sturdy and durable, but forklift bumps and impacts can cause serious damage. You can choose all kinds of different ways to set up your pallet racking, but pallet rack post protectors are recommended to be used. Pallet rack post protectors are also known as: pallet rack upright guards, pallet rack column protectors, pallet racking guards, and pallet rack column guards.

Post Protector Overview:

• Pallet rack end protectors are ideal for protecting racking from forklifts and other vehicles
• Column guards provide increased support to the racking, reducing the damage from impacts
• Painted safety yellow to stand out and designate caution
• Bolts/anchors into the ground
• Made of durable steel
• Comes in 3″ or 4″ sizes to fit different pallet rack column widths
• Variety of heights to fit your needs

Risk Of Pallet Racks Collapsing

High quality construction of pallet rack shelving is incredibly important. Whatever pallet racking you choose to use should meet all necessary quality and safety standards, both in its construction and the materials used. That is why it is recommended to use high quality steel and American made products. Some protectors are made of cheaper plastic which can break easily and offer a higher chance of pallet rack collapsing.

Before installing any pallet racking ensure the surface it’s placed on is level. If it’s not, the racking will be unbalanced and the risk of collapse increases.  Even if racking is constructed well, there’s still a risk of collapse from forklift impact. If your warehouse has pallet racking, it almost certainly has one or more forklifts.  While any forklift operator should be fully qualified, mistakes do happen. If a driver makes a misjudgment and collides with the racking it could bring it all down.

Preventing Warehouse Hazards

It’s obvious that you wouldn’t want your pallet racking to collapse, but there is one reason to prevent this that trumps the others: safety.

Pallet racking is generally tall, heavy, and holds a lot of materials, so you want to keep the risk of a collapse to an absolute minimum. It’s worth bearing in mind that in most environments these racks are quite close to each other. This means that if one rack comes down the rest may come with it.  The weight of the racking and materials will undoubtedly cause a lot of damage, but more importantly, poses a huge safety risk. Anyone in the vicinity of falling racking is at great risk of serious, and potentially fatal, injury.

 

Selecting Pallet Rack Post Protector

As mentioned previously, when selecting pallet rack upright guards, you get what you pay for. Typically, pallet rack post protectors are offered in steel or plastic. Plastic post protectors may cost less, but end up being fragile overtime and do not provide superior protection compared to steel protectors.

There are many different designs and names such as pallet rack post protectors, upright, frame, and column guards.  They are often coated in highly visible yellow to help make people more aware of their presence. This relates to OSHA 1910.144(a)(3) – Safety color code for marking physical hazards.

At EGA Products, Inc. we manufacture only high quality, steel pallet rack upright guards. Get a quote today or learn more about our pallet rack post protectors. If you have any questions, give us a call at (800) 937-3427.