Your Next Move Matters
All facilities need a Comprehensive Rack Safety Program that educates employees to know, and abide by, rack safety rules and addresses repair priority and timelines for all — especially critical — pallet rack damage.
When responding to critical damage you must not only know what to do – but also what NOT to do. In these precarious and potentially deadly situations one wrong move can bring it all down.
CRITICAL DAMAGE RESPONSE
The moment a pallet rack sustains critical damage a catastrophic collapse is a real possibility. A pallet rack collapse can happen suddenly and without warning. In this event, the damaged rack becomes the first domino in a disaster that threatens the entire facility, and the lives of the workers in it. Critical damage is a unique and urgent threat that requires a unique and urgent response.
The protocol below comprises recommendations from MTAC Industrial Solutions. Your situation may require different and/or additional steps based upon on-site conditions, as well as the actual threats involved. These steps are offered as considerations to be factored into your own response planning based on what you are storing, how you are storing it, and the experience level of your operations and safety personnel.
Protect Your People
First and foremost, ALL personnel should IMMEDIATELY vacate the aisle where the critical damage occurred and, at minimum, the adjacent aisles on each side. These aisles should remain clear until pallet rack repair is complete and the threat fully mitigated.
Secure the Scene
Without placing yourself or anyone else in jeopardy, immediately close the designated aisles to both pedestrian and equipment traffic by deploying safety cones, retractable barriers, or other means.
MTAC offers the Collapse Prevention ARK™ (Accelerated Response Kit) which contains everything needed to quickly secure the immediate area, including six (6) safety cones and six (6) magnetic base retractable barriers to cordon off three aisles, and six (6) Damaged Structure Warning Signs to alert approaching traffic, all housed in a mobile locker for convenient storage and a rapid response.
Determine the Danger
The Rack Safety Officer should cautiously assess the damage from a safe distance. In this critical moment with so much at stake, what’s needed is not a hero, but rather a cool head with a careful response to what the threat assessment reveals. A wrong move at this point can easily trigger a catastrophic collapse, and that reality should govern every step.
MTAC recommends a member of your staff use a caged forklift to safely take pictures of the damaged structure. Those photos, along with other information, will help determine the correct solution for your specific situation.
If a collapse threat is imminent, you may want to alert local authorities of the situation. Should a 911 call be needed, be sure to mention potential “Structural Collapse” and/or “Hazmat Threat” (if it applies) to ensure the appropriate apparatus and response strategy is provided.
Hold Off Until Help Arrives
WHAT NOW?
If you suspect your pallet rack damage may be critical, PLEASE CALL 503-UPRIGHT for immediate assistance and to schedule a rapid pallet rack repair as the situation requires.
In situations where damage is deemed critical and a collapse potentially imminent, the patented design and process of UpRight opens the door for MTAC to offer Rapid Response one-day emergency service. Depending on site location, and facility-specific data being already obtained, critically damaged racks can be repaired within 24 hours of receiving a purchase order – an industry first!
For more details about our Rapid Response 24-Hour Emergency Service, click the banner below.
There is no faster solution to repair pallet rack damage and reduce the threat of a disastrous collapse than UpRight Rapid Rack Repair.
It’s about time
