Open Bay Warehouses: 4 Ways To Help Protect Inventory & Increase Safety
Warehouses are designed differently, so it's important to find products that can fit to your specific needs. If you work in an open bay warehouse, a large portion of the warehouse may be exposed to the outside world. If this is the case, then you must take specific actions to ensure that pallet racking and inventory are properly protected. As you plan pallet racking setups, there are multiple accessories and methods you can use to help protect items and increase the safety in your warehouse. The following four options will offer protection against random gusts of wind and other forms of weather that can impact your warehouse.
Safety Netting
A large gust of wind can easily blow small items or boxes off of pallet racks. Help keep the items protected and secure with the installation of safety netting. The netting can act as a proper backing to your pallet racks and should be installed on the areas facing the open bay of the warehouse. The nets can help block out some of the wind and create a protective barrier that prevents boxes from falling down. When choosing net sizes, you want to consider the load rating and ability to handle different weights. If you have smaller products and boxes, then you will want to use nets with smaller square sizes. If you have larger boxes, then you will want to order a larger safety netting that can handle more weight. Not only will this netting prevent products from getting damaged, but it can also prevent items from falling on warehouse employees.
Containment Trays
If your warehouse deals with fragile items or liquids, then you want to ensure that any accidents are left contained within the warehouse area. One way to do this is with the purchase of containment trays to go under the pallet racks. These trays have raised edges that can help contain any items that break and fall through the rack shelves. If you have a lot of liquids, then you can purchase trays that have a deeper basin to contain them. When the liquids are contained, it can help prevent dangerous and wet situations on the floors of your warehouse. The containment trays can easily get pulled out from underneath the pallet racks to clear and clean them out. The hard plastic shells are easy to rinse off, dry, and return back to the pallet racks.
Pallet Rack Dividers
When wind blows in through the warehouse, it can cause boxes and parts to move and bump into each other. This can increase the chances for damage and safety issues. One way to help keep products separated from each other is by installing pallet rack dividers. These dividers are typically made of steel grates and are manufactured to fit all types of pallet rack shelves. When the wind blows, items will press into the dividers instead of bouncing into each other. This can help you separate the more fragile items from other items that are stored in your warehouse.
Rack Guards
When you have an open bay on your warehouse, it typically opens up space for a lot of larger machines, including forklifts and small trucks. As these items travel through the warehouse, you want to ensure that pallet racks are properly protected from any type of impact. Extra protection can be added to your pallet racks through the use of rack guards. Rack guards are thick steel pieces that are installed around the corners and edges of pallet racking. They are typically screwed right into the ground to offer a stable base that does not impact the pallet rack. The rack guards are also typically installed with bright colors so they are easy to see and increase safety needs.
A pallet racking company like Commercial Hardware can offer these accessories and have them made to fit any type of pallet rack installation.