Vertical Rack Shelf

Benefits of Vertical Rack Shelf

Types of Vertical Rack Shelf

Pallet racks

While pallet racks aren't always exclusively vertical, pallet racking systems are nevertheless one of the most important types of vertical storage solutions. Pallet racking systems use tiered racks that resemble shelves to store pallets in easily accessible locations, maximizing vertical space utilization without sacrificing valuable floor space. Pallet racking is versatile and adaptable to any warehouse layout. Selective racks provide easy access to all pallets, while drive-through and drive-in racks offer high storage density with a smaller footprint.
The best pallet racking systems for your space will depend on various factors, including your warehouse operations, inventory management goals, and available vertical height. For optimal performance, we recommend consulting with our experts for a thorough analysis. With your storage needs and goals in mind, we use our CAD (computer-aided design) computer software to create cost-effective storage solutions for a more productive, efficient, and safer environment.

Cantilever racks

Cantilever racks are designed specifically for storing long, bulky, and irregular-shaped items. They consist of vertical upright columns with horizontal arms extending outwards. The design eliminates floor obstructions, with some options even enabling forklift operators to retrieve items from both sides. This type of rack system is optimal if your warehouse stores lumber, pipes, metal bars, furniture, and other oversized materials. They offer high storage capacity and efficient use of warehouse space, especially when dealing with items that don't fit standard pallet racking but still need to be kept off the warehouse floor to save space.

Vertical carousels

Vertical carousels are specific types of automated storage and retrieval systems (AS/RS) that consist of a series of vertically rotating shelves. When an item is needed, the vertical carousel system automatically brings the desired shelving units to the operator, lowering higher shelves for efficient use. These automated systems save time by eliminating the need for workers to search for items, significantly increasing picking efficiency. Perfect for small parts, perishable items, and inventory with high turnover, vertical carousels and similar automated storage systems increase productivity and storage space at the same time.

Mezzanines

While not storage solutions by themselves, mezzanine platforms offer a practical and cost-effective use of vertical space by introducing an additional level without raising the roof of the building or sacrificing valuable floor space. This added space can be used to increase storage capacity, protect valuable inventory, or serve as an office area and observation deck.

Warehouse Rack Storage Regulations

Some people may see safety regulations as just another item to check off a list. After all, the average worker is simply trying to complete their day's tasks, and some days, regulations can cause their jobs to be a little more complicated than they otherwise would be. It's little wonder that this concern can sometimes feel like just another item on a checklist.Yet consider the purpose of these regulations. Large racks piled high with bulky goods is a situation in which accidents could occur with minimal prompting. With no guidelines in place, every warehouse could store items on racks however they chose. Even though most warehouses would likely be responsible and perform this work safely, a lack of rules means that if a business wanted to cut corners and endanger their workers in the process, there would be no one to stop it. While no regulations can prevent 100% of accidents, these rules exist to prevent as many accidents as possible and make sure most people stay safe. As a warehouse manager, you have several excellent motivations for complying with OSHA regulations for warehouse racks. Doing so will help you:

Tips For Maintaining Warehouse Rack Safety And Compliance

Encourage open communication
A workplace in which everyone feels free to communicate concerns as they arise is a safe workplace. As a manager, it's your job to point out the major safety risks your employees should always be aware of. Since you can't be everywhere all the time, you should always remember to share your potential concerns with your employees. That way, they feel empowered to report any problems they notice.
When your employees file reports, you should nurture an environment of openness and honest communication by following up on their concerns and either making the necessary changes or confirming that everything is in order. If you do, everyone will feel that their concerns are valued, and even potential threats will be treated with the seriousness they deserve.
 

Provide consistent training
As old employees eventually leave and new employees arrive, it can sometimes be difficult to ensure that everyone receives the same basic training. It isn't unheard of for one or two people to slip through the cracks and never receive a few important training sessions, such as ones including critical information on warehouse safety procedures.
This issue may not seem like a big deal at the time, but consider a situation where one of these employees is in a position to notice a major safety hazard. They might be the only one with the chance to report the issue, but since they didn't receive the training, they may not even recognize the hazard for what it is.
Avoid these scenarios by establishing a training plan that will ensure every employee has access to the same information and training sessions. It may even be wise to hold refresher sessions every so often so that even if someone did somehow miss their on-boarding training, they could catch up with other sessions.
 

Place visual reminders
Sometimes, there's a wide gulf between the information we know in the back of our mind and the things we do in our everyday life. For example, you might explain during the initial training process that employees should not load palettes beyond a certain capacity, but by the time an employee has worked for years, the information may be buried so deep that it's as good as forgotten. They may not even pause to think about it, and they could instead continue loading the pallets the same way they've always done.
Providing visual reminders is an excellent way to bring crucial safety guidelines to the forefront of people's minds. By posting signs, placards, warnings and appropriate symbols in strategic locations around your warehouse, you can help remind your employees and even yourself of critical facts and tips at the moment when they'll be most helpful. For instance, you might post a placard on every rack to remind workers of its intended capacity. Or you might post a sign on the wall, instructing that materials must not be piled any higher than that sign.
In this way, you can help jog team members' memories of the most important information.
 

Appoint safety managers
Depending on the size of your warehouse and the number of employees working there, it may be wise to appoint a dedicated safety manager or two. This person will have the task of knowing every safety protocol inside and out and making sure your warehouse is following all regulations. Every time your warehouse makes a new adjustment or installs a new piece of equipment, the changes should go past your safety manager, who can verify their compatibility with safety guidelines.
Appointing a safety manager will also take responsibilities off your shoulders as a manager. This way, when employees come forward with safety concerns they've noticed, there's no risk of those concerns falling to the wayside because you were too busy to address them. Now, there's an employee whose whole job revolves around such concerns. Even if this employee is around only part-time, they can still work wonders to elevate the safety of a site.
 

Perform frequent rack inspections
Why wait for the safety concerns to come to you? By the time a problem has grown large enough for someone to notice it, it may be too late to perform a quick fix. As a result, you may need to replace the entire system - and if someone had caught the problem earlier, you might have salvaged it. The best way to sidestep this scenario? Perform frequent inspections.
If you've hired a safety manager, this task can be one for their workload, or, if you prefer, you can perform inspections yourself. Either way, we recommend completing them on a regular basis, such as once a month. Check that everything still seems sturdy and that no one has loaded the racks beyond their capacity. Make sure everything looks as it should, and if you do notice any abnormalities, be sure to address them right away.

Follow up with regular warehouse rack maintenance
No warehouse racking systems will last forever, but they'll last for an even shorter amount of time without a little help. Problems will inevitably come up, and whether you discover them through an employee tip or an official annual safety rack inspection, it's important to address them when they arise. Doing so usually requires rack maintenance.

Our Factory