RACKS

According to the Italian decree-law 81/08 metal racks are to be fully considered as work equipment. The Employer is therefore obliged to comply with the general obligations regarding work equipment and in particular those contained in Title III., providing his employees with equipment that meets the requirements of the relevant regulations.

Reference standards regarding static design:

• UNI 11636: Industrial metal racks – Inspection of storage equipment).
• EN 15878, EN 15512, EN 15620, EN 15635, EN 15629: Steel static storage systems, pallet racking systems, specific use and maintenance of storage equipment
• UNI 11262: Commercial metal racks – requirements for calculation and testing, supply, use and maintenance

Reference standards regarding anti-seismic design:

• FEM 10.2.08: Recommended for the design of static metal racks subject to load
• UNI/TS 11379: Metal racks. Design of racks for static storage of pallets in seismic conditions

RACK WITH TYPE/LOAD CAPACITY PLATE

If the rack is equipped with a type plate, then it should be easy to trace the manufacturer and the related documents. If only the load capacity is specified, then the customer has to check whether he actually disposes of the relevant documents. If the documents are available, the inspection can be carried out pursuant to standard UNI EN 15635 on “static storage systems – application and maintenance of storage equipment”.

The inspection consists in checking the correct installation and state of preservation of the racks and in issuing conformity or non-conformity reports. In order to plan the activity, it is necessary to have the layout and/or photographs of the storage (height, length and the span).

RACK WITHOUT TYPE/LOAD CAPACITY PLATE

If the rack is NOT equipped with neither type plate nor documents it is necessary to assess the load capacity through measurements, FEM numerical modelling and structural calculations on-site.

In order to plan the activity, it is necessary to have the following information:

• The layout and/or photographs of the storage (height, length and the span);
• Number and types of racks subject to inspection: The fixing of the posts is to be highlighted in order to see how many different rack models are to be examined.