The first question this month is looking for confirmation on the legal requirements of wearing of a harness when working at height. Our second is asking what training if any, is available when working with cantilever racking.
To Harness or not
Q. What is the current legislation with regard to wearing a harness for racking installation when working at height.
A. As far as harnesses are concerned they can still be used however a simple explanation would be to say they are discouraged where other options are available.
The Health and Safety Executive encourage what is referred to as the ‘hierarchy of control.’ That is to say
a) If it is possible to do the job without climbing in the first place then this is how it should be done. For instance as much pre-assembly work should be done at ground level where there is no possibility of falling.
b) If it is not possible to do the work from ground level the contractor needs to look for a safe method of access ideally using a safe working platform of some kind perhaps a scissor lift if available. If such a platform is not available it might be possible to do the work using a safety harness with a work restraint lanyard which prevents the operator from getting into a position from which he can fall.
c) Finally and only if the first two options are not available it might then be possible to consider fall arrest lanyards on a full body safety harness which will arrest the fall once it starts.
There is no safe height at which it is safe to work unprotected. The simple message is if it is possible to hurt yourself in a fall you must be protected. Low height falls are, in number terms one of the greatest causes of work at height accidents there are. If a harness is being contemplated it should be confirmed that there is no better option and that there is sufficient free space under the anchorage points to ensure it will be effective if it comes into deployment.
Inspection of cantilever racking
Q. I am a health and safety inspector working for a local authority. I recently inspected a commercial warehouse which included installations of both static pallet and cantilever racking. The company is conducting racking inspections and has trained employees to carry this out. However when I asked whether this training had covered inspection of cantilever racking, as well as pallet racking, they were unsure (and the employee was not there to clarify).
Presumably the tolerances, etc. will vary considerably from that of pallet racking. However I am not aware of any published guidance or codes of practice relating to surveying of cantilever racking, or indeed of any training in how to carry out the survey, and I was therefore wondering if SEMA could confirm whether or not there are any, and if so, point me in the right direction.
A. The relevant SEMA training courses, which are the one-day ‘Rack Awareness’ course and the 4-day SEMA Approved Rack Inspectors qualification, both spend some time on Cantilever Racking as part of the syllabus though of course they are aimed specifically at Adjustable Pallet Racking. Inspectors are encouraged to adapt the advice provided for pallet racking to cantilever and to use judgement as to what is reasonable in the circumstances. As yet, SEMA have not produced a specific inspection standard for Cantilever or indeed for Drive-In racking or other types of specialist racking – they are all on our ‘to-do’ list and progress is being made on Cantilever.
The main problem is that some cantilever racks will be manufactured from hot rolled structural steel sections more normally used in the construction of buildings while other systems are manufactured from thin gauge folded sections more akin to pallet racking. Both of these types of racking are capable of carrying the loads imposed upon them – however they have different characteristics.
Interestingly both design types will have the same factor of safety against collapse so that the instinctive reaction of suggesting that the structural steel type will accommodate more abuse and should therefore have a higher allowable amount of damage may be counter intuitive.
SEMA now has a new Safety awareness course aimed at Cantilever Rackink which will interest the end user on what to look for when inspecting cantilever system as part of a routine check
SEMA is delighted to be working with WLN on the storage Question and Answer Column which is published in WLN on a monthly basis. On the WLN website is a list of previously published columns which we hope you find useful.
Please note that SEMA Users Club members also have access to a comprehensive range of additional storage related questions and answers.
SEMA Technical Enquiries
We hope you find the above articles, and those in previous editions, interesting. If you have a query send it to us by fax or email and we will do our best to have it answered by one of our technical experts.
SEMA Rack Safety Awareness and Inspection Courses
SEMA runs a one-day safety course on Rack Safety Awareness and Inspection. These courses are aimed at end users, giving an in-depth look at the need for inspections, how to conduct an assessment and what actions to take when this is completed. These courses are normally held at the SEMA headquarters but arrangements can be made to hold them at the delegates’ premises.
SEMA Approved Rack Inspectors Qualification
This qualification is aimed at professionals who conduct rack surveys as an integral and significant part of their duties. It involves delegates in undertaking an in-depth 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 Publications
SEMA has 26 publications in stock – Codes of Practice, ‘Guides’ and European documents – all of which are available from our Offices. For further information on these documents visit, www.sema.org.uk. and click on ‘Codes of Practice’.
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.
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