More and more companies are upgrading their racking systems. To increase the storage density of products and reduce real estate and labour costs, retailers and other large companies are consolidating their warehouse space in centralized locations, explains Steve Duncan, SafeRack program manager at Redirack Storage Systems, an Oakville, Ont.-based company that offers safety training for a wide range of systems in addition to selling them.

“These sophisticated systems have automation built in to move product around, and they also feature dynamic pallet flow and push-back systems that require more skill to operate safely,” says Duncan.

For example, in a push-back racking system, when a pallet is removed, there are more pallets behind on wheeled carts that will roll forward, he explains. “As lift-truck operators back out, they must control other pallets and how fast they come forward, so positioning the truck is critical.”

Many fatalities have occurred because racking systems weren’t set up or used properly. A particularly horrific landmark case occurred in 2003 at Versacold, a refrigeration storage company in Brampton, Ont., when a steel racking system suddenly collapsed, causing the wall and roof to cave in. A worker was trapped and killed under the pile-up of twisted metal and frozen food, and it took rescue teams three days to recover his body.

Regulatory entities stepped up their safety requirements in the wake of the accident. The Canadian Standards Association (CSA) issued a new set of national standards in 2005 setting out the requirements for the safe use of storage systems, but these aren’t mandatory.

In addition, Ontario’s Ministry of Labour (MOL) has increased the amount of regulation in recent years. The MOL adopted a process called the Pre-Start Health and Safety Review, which falls under the province's Occupational Health and Safety Act (OHSA). The Pre-Start program requires all storage systems to be approved by professional engineers, who establish the capacity and conditions for the system's safe use and determine whether it’s in compliance with the Act.

Other provinces are looking at implementing a similar model as Ontario’s, says Duncan. “We’re getting a lot of calls from customers in other provinces where inspectors are asking for documentation, even though it’s not specifically in their legislation.”

Government inspectors in Ontario have grown more vigilant since the new CSA standard was introduced, says Chuck Leon, training specialist at the Industrial Accident Prevention Association (IAPA), a Mississauga, Ont.-based non-profit safety organization. “There’s very little specific detail about racking systems in the legislation, which is where the CSA standards come in.”

Companies need to increase their attention to this area. “The Ministry of Labour has about 300 government inspectors who are going into warehouses across Ontario to ensure they’re in compliance with its policies, and shutting them down if they’re not,” says Bill Carter, director of distribution at Redirack.”