3 Pallet Flow Safety Risks You Need to Know

3 Pallet Flow Safety Risks You Need to Know

Pallet flow racks, also known as gravity flow racks, use inclined roller tracks or wheels to move pallets toward the front of the rack. While this seems efficient, they also come with risks. Keep these in mind while you are shopping for the best pallet rack for you. 

Pallet Flow Racks

Pallet Jamming

A common issue with pallet flow racks is pallet jamming. When you remove the front pallet from the rack, the pallets behind slide down. As they slide, they can become stuck or jammed. This can cause damage to the pallets, your inventory, and the racking. Jamming also poses risks for your workers who need to try to get it unstuck. Other pallet racks don’t have this functionality, and therefore don’t have this issue.

Fire Safety Issues

Pallet flow racks are a high-density storage solution. This may seem efficient, but it poses a fire safety hazard. Since everything is so tightly packed, the flow of water is impeded from overhead sprinklers or other water sources. This can speed up the spread of fire, cause more damage to your products and slow down emergency responders if a fire were to occur. Other pallet racks aren’t so tightly packed and are safer in the event of a fire.

Pallet Flow Hazards

Another unique issue with pallet flow racks is speed-related hazards. When a pallet is removed, gravity pulls the ones behind it to the front. You don’t have control over how fast the pallets travel. This poses a serious risk of pallets falling off of the rack, especially if it has too much weight on it. Your workers, inventory, and racking are at a high risk of injury in the event pallets fall off of your rack in this manner. This feature of pallet flow racking also creates pinch-points, yet another risk for your workers. 

For these reasons, Simply Rack doesn’t offer pallet flow racks. We care about the safety of you, your workers, and your inventory. A great alternative to pallet flow racks is selective pallet racking, which we happily provide! If you need help finding the perfect pallet rack for you, contact us today!

The Most Popular Types of Warehouse Racking

The Most Popular Types of Warehouse Racking

Pallet racking is a fundamental component to modern warehouse storage. There are many types of racking systems for you to choose from, but there are a few that stand out among the rest. These systems are customizable, safe, effective, and caters to a wide array of businesses. Here are the most popular types warehouse racking, and why they’ve earned that title.

Forklifts and Drive In Racks

Teardrop Pallet Racking

Teardrop pallet racking is Simply Rack’s most popular warehouse storage system. It is universally renowned for its versatility, durability, and ease of installation. The teardrop-shaped holes that the system is named after ensures safety by easily locking beams into place. Teardrop pallet racking is widely used in warehouses, distribution centers, and manufacturing facilities as it maximizes space and efficiency while being cost-effective.

Teardrop pallet racking’s popularity stems from its versatility, cost-effectiveness, and compatibility with a wide range of accessories such as column protectors. It is very adaptable to different configurations to meet your warehouse needs, and it allows forklifts to easily access each pallet rack. With teardrop pallet racking you can adjust the beam heights to accommodate various pallet sizes. This makes diverse inventories easily accommodated for. Teardrop pallet racking is a very popular type of warehouse racking with all of the features to support it. Check out our teardrop racking options to see if this system is right for you!

Drive-In Racking

The drive-in racking system is designed to optimize warehouse space while accommodating a large volume of homogeneous products. In these systems, pallets are loaded and removed from racks in the same aisle. This removes the need for multiple isles, maximizing the available space. In drive-in systems, pallets are stored on rails running across the length of the rack. Forklifts drive into the structure to deposit or retrieve pallets. 

Drive-in racking is a popular option for industries dealing with large quantities of identical products. Businesses benefit most when the order of storage and retrieval is not critical, such as cold storage facilities, but can be adjusted for First In, First Out and Last In, First Out systems. With this level of customization options and storage space optimization, it is easy to understand why drive-in racking is a popular choice for Simply Rack customers.

Push-back Pallet Racking

Push back racking is highly favored as a warehouse storage system, renowned for its exceptional efficiency and ease of assembly. this system features rails and nested carts influenced by gravity. The push back mechanism enables loading and retrieval of pallets from the same aisle. This results in a Last In, First Out system.

This innovative approach guarantees seamless inventory rotation and retrieval, making push back racking a top choice for warehouses with diverse requirements and high turnover rates. Despite its simplicity, push back racking offers efficiency and reliability. It is a preferred option for warehouse managers aiming to maximize vertical storage space without sacrificing functionality. 

Which one is right for you?

The answer to this question heavily depends on your available space and the items you are storing. For example, if you need a First In, First Out system, then drive-in racking is the most appropriate option. This pallet racking system guide walks you through the different types of warehouse storage to help you decide which one is right for you. Contact us today and we can help you in your warehouse storage journey!