Safely walking in racking…how?!
In an accumulation racking system, such as a push-back, drive-in or pallet flow, it is common for pallets in poor condition, inappropriate or with hanging shrink-wrap to stay stuck or for boxes to fall and stay jammed, hindering your operations. Retrieving these items can prove complex and dangerous, since an employee must venture in these systems, which were not conceived to accommodate a passer-through.
Indeed, even if the employee properly wears their safety harness and a fall-arrest device, commonly known as lanyard, no part of the racking is designed to withstand loads in the event of a person falling. People fall arrest standards are clear: an energy-absorbing lanyard Class E4 needs a strenght resistance of 9KN, and the anchor point needs a resistance of 18KN. Unfortunately, racking bracing, frequently used since they seem a solid hook point, will not resist the stress of someone losing their balance and falling in the racking system.
Throughout Canada, every year, many workers in warehousing and transport are victims from height falls1.
And so, what is the safest way to move around in the racking systems?
The design and engineering team at Structurack studied the question and developed a portable fastening point: the Structur-Clip. It allows the user to enter a racking system, safely secured to movable fastening points.
Designed for all racking types, this temporary attach point can rapidly be secured to the racking post with quick pins or bolts, and allows the user to attach his lanyard. Equipped with two lanyards and two Structur-Clips, it possible to safely move in the depths of the racking system.
Safely anchored to an elevating platform or a cage, the worker installs the first Structur-Clip and secures himself to it, in order to enter the racking system. He will then be able to install the second Structur-Clip and repeat the sequence to move through the system. Just like a Via Ferrata or tree climbing! The important is to always be secured between maneuvers. When the work in the racking is finished, all that is left is to exit the racking the way it was entered, by removing the Structur-Clip in the reverse sequence and returning to the platform or cage that brought the worker at the desired height.
It goes without saying that the Structur-Clip does not free the employer from his duty to properly train his employees to the use of fall arrest devices and to remind of the dangers that fall from heights present in order to safely perform these tasks.
For more information regarding the Structur-Clip, do not hesitate to contact your Structurack representative!