Rack Safety

Rack Safety Awareness Training

Rack Safety /

By Barri-Leon Malherbe – Africa’s One & Only SARI Due to increasing demand and necessity within the African racking industry, Barpro Storage SA offers a set of courses encompassing and emphasising the importance of Rack Safety. Barpro provides these services through collaboration with Africa’s only SARI. What is a SARI? A SARI is a Sema Approved Rack Inspector, an individual who is accredited and trained  by SEMA (Storage Equipment Manufacturers Association) based in Birmingham , UK. What is the outcome of the training which Barri does on site in South African warehouses? In the UK warehouse owners are responsible for rack safety within their warehouses. Staff are trained to recognise dangerous situations and to take the correct action. This has led to a significant drop in rack collapses. Barpro’s objective is for Barri-Leon to introduce the same system in South Africa. What is a Rack Safety course? Barpro Storage offers a comprehensive course in order to assist in the prevention of rack collapses in warehouses and cold stores, Barpro developed a Rack Safety Awareness training programme providing the necessary information and tools to conduct weekly inspections internally. We urge that in all warehouses and freezer stores that there should be a trained or competent person (PRRS Person Responsible for Rack Safety) who checks the racking at least on a weekly basis for damage. To assist within this process, Barpro manufactures “The Barpro Rack safety testing tool” which is a quick and easy way of assessing if damaged rack frames must be emptied immediately and the damaged components replaced. The course features a comprehensive overview of the composition of racking systems and how to identify and treat damage. This comprehensive overview is achieved through a 1-Day session which comprises both Theoretical & Practical training. Why? Barpro Storage has and always will be innovative, one of the innovations which we offer is that of Rack Inspections, again, through Africa’s only SARI. It is Rack inspections which inspired and displayed the necessity for rack safety awareness training, due to the amount of high-risk damage commonly see during these inspections. “Are we so set in our ways that we think we can still load on top of these damaged parts, or is it a case of ‘’we don’t know’?” –  States Barri-Leon. An example below of how a cold store’s operators still knowing deposit pallets onto visually damaged beams. Barri-Leon Malherbe states – “We don’t know if this is done with closed eyes from the driver’s point of view or if it is just a case of the driver not knowing what can happen if such a beam collapses”? This is exactly why we have founded and are pushing this initiative; it is the lack of regard and education which currently plagues the African warehousing market. Through our Rack Safety Awareness programme, we aim to educate and assist all warehouses in creating effective, efficient and Safe Environments. For more information regarding Rack Safety training and Rack inspections, please contact:

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ICE BUILD-UP AFFECTS RACK SAFETY INSPECTIONS

Ice, Rack Safety /

Every cold store manager knows that, somewhat paradoxically, ice is the last thing you need in a freezer room.  It clogs up the evaporators, makes the floor dangerous, and stops the mobiles from moving. But now there is another reason to ban ice from the freezer, it covers the racking, preventing proper rack inspections. It also can cause pallets to slip off the beams. Freezer store ice normally consists of moisture which is sucked into the room. At minus 25 ⁰C freezer rooms create a vacuum as the air volume decreases. Air flaps are supposed to prevent this pressure difference but are commonly frozen shut. Ice formation happens when the doors are left open and moist air enters the cold store. When the moist air encounters the steel and the floor, the water vapor in the air condenses to form water and then freezes to form ice. When the cold store door is opened, the warm moist air in the airlock is sucked into the store, depositing its moisture content as ice on the coldest immediate surfaces, normally the floor, insulated panels, and racking. Eventually, this ice will move(sublimation) to the coldest surface, being the evaporator fins, insulating them, making the refrigeration system work harder and driving up electricity costs. Moisture can also be introduced via leaking panel joints, malfunctioning drip trays, and, increasingly, accidental sprinkler discharges. Barri Malherbe, Barpro’s SEMA-approved rack inspector, isn’t happy with the amount of Ice in South African freezer stores as it can make rack inspections extremely difficult. Please see the attached pictures. Slippery floors and ice-covered racking will lead to more rack damage increasing the risk of collapses. The problem of cold store ice will never be completely solved while access doors exist. However, it can be minimized by installing well-planned airlocks. Pressure equalization flaps should be serviced regularly so that they work. This will prevent partial vacuums over weekends which can suck air through panel joints. As a minimum, freezer doors must be kept closed providing the door heater tapes are working and the rubber seals are intact.  There are many door designs, fast-moving and otherwise, to assist in keeping moisture out of freezers, but these only work if properly maintained. For remaining floor ice and malfunctioning drip trays, Barpro has I-smelt, a non-corrosive white powder that does what its name says. Removing ice with gualas/crow bars isn’t recommended as they create floor cracks allowing moisture ingress which then widens cracks further.               See the gallery of pictures of ice build-up discovered on his travels through South Africa. For more information contact: Barri-Leon Malherbe SEMA Approved Rack Inspector – Reg: 0344 Mobile: 082 565 3970 Office: 021 5529190 training@barpro.co.za

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