Commonly Used Safety Accessories for Rack Protection and Maintenance
Pallet rack safety accessories are indispensable for all types of pallet racking systems. They help to provide security to both cargo and workers. Because of everyday warehouse activities and accidental forklift impacts, pallet rack scuffs, scrapes, and dents are easy to happen.
However, equipping pallet racks with some safety accessories is favorable to prevent damage to pallet racks and improve general warehouse safety. The following are some popular accessories commonly used in pallet racks.
1) Upright Shim
Upright shim is placed underneath the footplate of pallet rack upright and connected with the upright by anchor bolts to help level the upright and prevent it from tilting or teetering. It is necessary that the upright column is perpendicular to the ground.
Therefore, if the concrete floor in your warehouse is uneven, using upright shim is an economic and convenient method to level the whole pallet rack. There are different sizes and thicknesses shims available for choosing.
2) Column Protector
Column protector is installed in front of pallet rack upright column through anchor bolts to protect column from collision. Usually, columns next to working aisles should all equip with a column protector because these columns are prone to get damaged if forklifts deviate from correct direction.
Once impact happens, forklift will hit protector rather than column directly, reducing even avoiding damage to pallet racks. Compared with replacing new pallet racks, the cost of column protectors is much lower.
3) Guard Barrier
Guard barrier is mounted to the ground at the end of each row of pallet racks to provide extra protection for the whole frame. It plays the same role as column protector which is to protect pallet racks from forklift impacts. Made from highly durable, tough steel, guard barrier is very effective to guard pallet racking systems in busy operational areas.
4) Row Spacer
Row spacer is a metal bar with holes on each end that is used to connect back-to-back pallet racks. It bolts into the punched holes on the upright column sides and the number of row spacer depends on the height of pallet rack. With row spacers, the distance between back-to-back pallet racks can be consistent and the stability of the system is improved.
5) Wall Tie
Wall tie is similar to row spacer, but it is used to link the pallet rack system to the wall behind the racking. For single row pallet racks near wall, war tie is an economical method to enhance the stability of the system and eliminate the worry of rack sway or tipping.
6) Top Portal Tie
Top portal tie is also a metal bar to reinforce the stability of the racking system. It’s often applied when there is single-row pallet rack whose height is over six times its depth. Especially for the single-row pallet rack in the middle area of the warehouse, which is away from the wall and the wall tie is not able to use, the top portal tie is extremely necessary.
It bolts into the top end of the upright column to connect the single-row pallet rack with an adjacent back-to-back pallet rack, thus forming a more stable entirety.
7) Cross Bar
Cross bar is also called pallet support bar, which is laid on pallet rack beams to provide extra support for stored loads. There are different types of cross bars. One is called double flanged crossbar and the other is called top hat crossbar. The load capacity of beams is increased by making use of cross bars. Besides, with cross bars, the possibility of cargo falling is decreased.
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| Double Flanged Cross Bar | |
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| Top Hat Cross Bar | |
8) Wire Mesh Deck
Wire mesh deck is composed of high-strength steel mesh and steel channels, which fit firmly into place between the front and rear rack beams. Its main function is to provide support for stored cargoes like crossbar, but wire mesh deck provides more uniform load support.
Besides, compared with crossbar, wire mesh deck can prevent cargo including non-palletized inventory such as cartons from falling more effectively. In addition, its open design allows light to pass through each level of pallet racking, increasing overall visibility in your warehouse, and reducing the risk of fire damage as it allows sprinkler water to pass between levels.
