 |
 |
 |
 |
||
 |
||
ABOUT US
INDUSTRIAL &
WAREHOUSING
OFFICE &
COMMERCIAL
MATERIALS
SERVICES &
FAQ's ¦ NEWS
ONLINE
Frequently Asked Questions.What is the Australian Standard for Steel Storage Racking? How Does it Affect Me? |
Frequently Asked Questions.
What is the Australian Standard for Steel Storage Racking? (AS 4084-1993)“This Standard sets out minimum requirements for the design (in permissible stress method), fabrication and erection tolerances, test methods, operation and maintenance. “This Standard applies to adjustable static pallet racking made of cold-formed or hot-rolled steel structural members. It covers both the situation where racking is installed within a building and where the racking forms part of the building frame. “The standard does not cover drive-in and drive-through racking, cantilever racking, mobile racking or racking made of materials other than steel.”
Why is there an Australian Standard?“This Standard was prepared by the Standards Australia Committee on Steel Storage Racking in response to several requests from the Australian racking industry, to improve uniformity of racking performance and enhance public safety.”
Does My Pallet Racking Meet the Australian Standard?It can be difficult to determine whether or not a specific pallet racking installation meets the Australian Standard, without having an inspection performed by someone with an in-depth knowledge of the Standard and product. Since the Standard was introduced in 1993, it can generally be said that most pallet racking which pre-dates the Standard does not conform to the Standard. The Standard calls for a minimum 90mm (nominal) wide upright. Therefore, an easy way to tell that a pallet racking installation does not meet the Standard is if the typical width of the uprights is less than 85mm. However, if the width of the uprights is greater than 85mm, it does not necessarily mean that it is a conforming racking installation. Additionally, the Standard refers to the racking as an “installation”. Therefore, even if the rack design conforms to the Standard, the rack as an “installation” may not. Specific factors which may affect the conformance of the racking installation may include (but are not limited to) floor fixings, damage, alignment, plumb of uprights and floor load capacity. Recently, there have also been a number of imported brands of pallet racking coming into Australia designed to mimic well-known and trusted conforming Australian brands. Tests have been performed on many of these imported and “counterfeit” brands – both by Australian pallet racking manufacturers, as well as independent organisations – and (to date) none have been found to meet the Standards, based on the load carrying capacities claimed by the manufacturers, importers and distributors. Is Non-Conforming Pallet Racking Unsafe?Due to the versatile nature of pallet racking, it is impossible to say that all non-conforming pallet racking is unsafe. There are many non-conforming installations in use in Australia today – some of which are safe while used in accordance with the manufacturer’s guidelines and maintained on a regular basis. Maintenance on the racking should include inspection for: impact damage, damage from overloading, incorrect load placement, plumb of uprights, incorrect beam levels, and so on. Although some non-conforming racks could be considered safe, they should be replaced as soon as practicable. With that said, all imported and “counterfeit” brands of pallet racking will be automatically considered as “Non-conforming and Unsafe” installations. Is There a Requirement by Law to Follow the Standard?In most states of Australia, Occupational Health and Safety Regulations and Acts require Plant and Equipment (which may include Steel Storage Racking) to meet the Australian Standards. Additionally, contractual and WorkCover requirements may exist. However, a rack which does meet the Australian Standards has been engineered to suit the specific purposes and uses of pallet racking and therefore can have appropriate load signs attached. Pallet racking installations which do not meet the Standard should not have load signs in place without an engineer’s certification. Pallet racking installations which do not have load signs attached may breach Workplace Health and Safety regulations. Recently, Workplace Health and Safety inspectors have been issuing infringement notices for having a lack of load signage and this trend is likely to increase. Why Should we Have a Pallet Racking Installation Which Meets the Standard?A pallet racking installation which meets the Standard can be trusted by the end-user as a safe and reliable structure, as long as the manufacturer’s operation and maintenance guidelines are adhered to throughout the life of the rack. More and more it is being accepted that every Australian has the right to work in a safe, low-risk environment. A pallet racking installation which meets the Australian Standards is much more likely to provide a safe working environment than an installation which does not. What are Industry Best practices?“Best practices” are guidelines maintained by some pallet racking manufacturers which go above and beyond the calls made by AS 4084-1993. Practises such as more intuitive impact protection devices, increased safety margins, lower distortion and deflection tolerances and more intelligent design principles all result in a better and safer product being supplied to the end-user. Best practices not only exist in the design and manufacture of components, but also in the design of racking systems, quality guarantees, installation and final outcomes achieved by the end-user. Why use Pallet Racking at All?Pallet racking is a safe and relatively cheap way of increasing the storage capacity of a warehouse and, if designed properly, can increase the productivity and throughput of any logistics system. Purpose-designed and built pallet racking systems can be found to decrease the amount of product handling required and improve efficiency in warehousing, logistics and distribution. A properly designed pallet racking system should also keep pedestrian traffic away from dangerous forklift traffic. Pallet racking gives its users significant benefits over floor storage. Ordinary floor storage wastes the elevated space available in most warehouses, and with the current climate of high-cost per square metre of floor, pallet racking can utilise every square metre more effectively than floor storage can. What Life-Span Should Pallet Racking Have?There are many different brands of pallet racking available in Australia today, made from different grades and thicknesses of steel, with many different designs and advantages. Additional accessories such as rack protection, heavy-duty components and galvanising can increase the life-span and decrease the ongoing maintenance costs of any brand of pallet racking. That said, the life-span of pallet racking can be greatly decreased when an update or revision of the Standards takes place, and the rack fails to meet the new Standard. The existing Standard AS 4084-1993 is due for an update in the near future because references contained in the Standard (particularly to AS 1250: SAA Steel Structures Code and AS 1538: Cold-formed Steel Structures Code) have been superseded (by AS 4100: Steel Structures and AS/NZS 4600: Cold Formed Steel Structures) which makes AS 4084-1993 obsolescent. It is more than likely that the new Standard will be an adaptation of both the Australian Standard AS 4084-1993 and the European Racking Code FEM 10.2.02: Design Code for Racking. Why Use Colby Pallet Racking?Colby Pallet Racking has earned itself the reputation of being the biggest, strongest and safest rack available in Australia. Colby pallet racking has been used in most of the biggest pallet racking installations in Australia today and with a reliable nation-wide support network, Colby and its distributors are able to service each of their customers to their specific needs. Colby pallet racking is manufactured in a world class facility, designed to produce equipment of the highest quality that will deliver superior “life-cycle” value at a competitive price. All of Colby’s pallet racking products conform to and exceed both AS 4084-1993 and FEM 10.2.02; and are installed accordingly. The current Colby pallet racking design will continue to exceed the new version of AS 4084, and is intended to be future-proof. Every Colby rack that is sold through an authorised Colby distributor is a designed rack structure conforming to Colby’s latest and up-to-date design load tables. Colby’s aim is to provide customers with “Storage Solutions” – not just pallet racking. |
