Our first question this month asks if a Fork Lift with cage can be used for routine maintenance and our second enquirers about what the legal requirement / duty is to be able to conduct in house racking repairs in a warehouse environment.

Caged maintenance

Q. Can you still use a FLT with cage for routine maintenance (bearing in mind the current work at height regulations?)

A. Detail guidance on use of cages can be found in HSE document PM28 which is a free download from the HSE web site. HSE have confirmed to SEMA in discussions that cages on fork lift trucks can be used for rack maintenance purposes as this comes under the category of unplanned activities or non- scheduled maintenance as it is not known which upright, beam, etc., will be damaged and be in need of replacement. In some circumstances a cage on a fork lift truck would be the most appropriate and safest way of carrying out the work and HSE would not wish to prevent this.Again however if it was easier and safer to use other equipment such as a scissor lift then this should be used. It again comes down to the specific risk assessment.

We would add a word of caution on this one however relating to high performance trucks that can lift higher than ever before.

Communication between driver on the ground and repair team aloft in the cage is critical for safe operation. This issue should be carefully considered as part of the risk assessment and for some of the higher racks we are seeing nowadays this technique may not be appropriate. I’m trained what can I do?

Q. Please can you tell me what the legal requirement / duty is to be able to conduct in house racking repairs in a warehouse environment. I have a trained person in terms of inspection, but need to know what he can / cannot do in terms of replacing beams / uprights etc.

A. First of all we confirm that there are no specific laws or regulations that require certain qualifications for those who carry out racking repairs. In this regard it is no different from driving a fork lift truck in as much as there is no law that requires a driver to have a fork lift truck licence. It would be good practice to do so and various approved codes of practice would recommend that it should be done however the important aspect would be that the driver should be ‘competent’ with various ways open of demonstrating this competency. Most employers would send their drivers on a training course from a recognised trainer demonstrating that they have taken reasonable care to ensure that their drivers were ‘competent’. However, they are getting a ‘certificate of training’ rather than a ‘licence to drive’ in the legal sense.

The same thing applies to rack repairs which can vary in complexity from changing a beam in a 2 metre high long span shelving system to changing an upright in a 30 metre high fully automated warehouse.

Plainly the skill levels and competencies required would be different in each of those cases. Ultimately the competencies and skill levels required comes down to a risk assessment of the work involved and an assessment of the skills of the in-house staff that you have available to carry out this work. It might be concluded that for, say, changing a beam, in 2 metre high long span this could be done by an experienced and competent maintenance technician. Changing an upright on some six metre high pallet racking might require some formal training such as attendance on one of the SEMA Rack Maintenance courses. Changing an upright in a thirty metre high integrated storage system might be better done by hiring in a team of specialist (SEIRS qualified) installers experienced in this kind of work. Such people often will be much faster and cheaper in doing difficult jobs compared with in house staff as they do not have to learn or refresh their skills as they go along. Whatever is done it must be preceded with the preparation of a formal risk assessment and method statement for the work being contemplated.

SEMA Annual Safety Conference 2017 – a date for your diary

The 2017 SEMA Safety Conference has been scheduled for Thursday, 2 November; the venue will be the National Motorcycle Museum, Solihull.

SEMA Rack Safety Awareness and Inspection Courses

Aimed at end users, giving an indepth look at the need for inspections, how to conduct an assessment and what actions to take when this is completed.

SEMA Approved Rack Inspectors Qualification

Aimed at professionals who conduct rack surveys as an integral part of their duties. It involves delegates in undertaking an indepth SEMA Course, together with an examination and practical assessment. CPD will be an important part of the qualification, demonstrating to end users that SEMA Approved Inspectors maintain a high professional standard.

SEMA USERS Club SEMA runs a USERS Club designed to be of benefit to purchasers and users of storage equipment. Members receive newsletters, access to specialised events and discounted rates on publications and codes of practice.

SEMA

www.sema.org.uk

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