Do Pallet Racks Have to Be Anchored?

Pallet racking is a fantastic way to make the most of the space in your warehouse or storage areas for your business. However, in order to make sure that you and your employees are working in a safe environment, you need to make sure that your pallet racks are installed securely and safely.

The right type of pallet racking installation for your storage space will depend on how much storage you need, the space available, your inventory rotation process, and the shapes of your walls and ceilings.

There are a variety of different pallet racking systems to choose from including narrow aisle, push-back, selective, and drive-in pallets, each of which has its own strengths and suitability.

How to Complete a Pallet Racking Installation Safely

No matter what warehouse racking system you are going to have installed in your warehouse, you need to make sure that it meets health and safety standards and is properly anchored to the floor.

In order to make sure you have installed racking safely you need to make sure that both the concrete floor and fixings are suitable.

The majority of pallet rack storage solutions for warehouses these days are steel and these pallet rack installations are secured by bolting the baseplates of the rack to the floor.

How Many Bolts Are Required to Meet Pallet Racks Safety Requirements?

The current pallet rack safety specification AS 4084: Steel Storage Racking requires that you have a minimum of two bolts affixed per rack baseplate when racking is being serviced by forklift operators and other mechanical handling equipment.

Having two bolts on each baseplate will help to prevent safety risks if a rack has been damaged by a forklift.

If you have a pallet racking installation which is not being serviced by forklifts and other mechanical equipment, then you can use 1 bolt per baseplate.

How do Bolts Help to Ensure Pallet Racks Safety?

Two bolts on each baseplate will help to reduce the twisting and buckling that occurs when forklifts bump or knock the pallet racks. The twisting of columns can severely compromise a pallet rack’s safety and even lead to the collapse of the whole installation.

What Type of Bolts Do You Need to Use for the Baseplates of Pallet Racks?

The Australian Standards AS4084-2012 does not specify which bolts you need to use when installing pallet storage systems, but you do need to meet minimum strength requirements when selecting the correct bolts. In order to meet these requirements, the bolts must:

• Provide 5kN tension (approximately 500kg pulling force.)
• Supply 8kN shear (approximately 800kr worth of force horizontally.)

A quick and simple option that many pallet racking installers recommend DynaBolts or a concrete wedge anchor which will securely affix the racks to a floor. DynaBolts will expand when the nut is tightened to make sure that the racks are properly secured to the floor.

When making sure you have the right level of tension and shear, you will need to take into account the quality of the floor the bolts will be secured to. Poor strength and low-quality mortar will need to be replaced before you are able to place the bolts in securely.

How to Install Dyna Bolts During Pallet Racking Installations

In order to ensure that your Dyna Bolts are adequately secured to the concrete floor, you need to ensure they are installed according to manufacturer guidelines by experienced and expert installers. Here is a step-by-step guide to how the process works:

• Template holes are measured and then carefully drilled into the floor using a masonry bit and hammer drill. (The drill bit needs to be the same diameter as the DynaBolt that will be secured to the floor.)
• Once the holes are created and the baseplate has been put into position, the DynaBolts are inserted into the hole and the washers are put into place.
• The nut is then threaded for a few turns to protect the wedge anchor.
• The anchors are then hammered into the hold to the specified depth. The nuts of the bolts are then tightened to ensure that they meet the required specifications of shear and tensions detailed above.

The best way to ensure that you are meeting the required specifications for pallet racks safety is to hire expert pallet racking installers. During the installation itself, it is important that health and safety procedures are adhered to and the manufacturer’s instructions are followed.

Where to find Safe and Secure Pallet Racking Installation in Victoria?

If you need help with a safe and secure pallet racking installation that meets the required specifications and protects your workspace, then contact Multiple Storage Solutions today.

Ensuring that you have the right tension, bolts, and safe flooring are essential parts of making sure that your pallet racks are safe to use and be around.

An experienced pallet racking installer will make sure that you can use your new storage solutions with complete confidence.

To know more about our pallet racking systems, call us on 03 8390 4483.