Handling

The “Regulation respecting occupational health and safety” specify certain rules concerning handling loads at floor level as well as those stored at height. According to Section 166 Handling, “Workers assigned to the handling of loads or persons shall be instructed in the proper manner of performing their work safely.” In other words, they must be trained to properly use equipment at their disposal and perform tasks in the safest way possible. Section 166 also stipulates that “when the manual moving of loads or persons compromises the worker’s safety, mechanical devices shall be put at his disposal.” The employer must ensure that the worker has the necessary equipment to minimize risk exposure when handling goods.

Stacking

The “Regulation respecting occupational health and safety” also states that “a worker shall have the necessary equipment allowing him to reach the top of piles of material safely.” Therefore, the employer must provide workers with step ladders, ladders, pinch grips and any equipment necessary to handle loads with a minimum of risk. Goods must be stacked in a way and at a height that does not compromise the stability of the pile, and workers must be trained in this.

Load-Bearing Walls

Goods, especially heavy loads, should not be stacked against building and party walls unless there is a guarantee they can withstand lateral pressure.

Pallet Racks

Overloaded beams or unevenly distributed loads compromise the stability of the pallet rack and may result in falling stacks or even a partial or total collapse of a rack. Proper placement of beams is essential to ensuring its load capacity and stability of the rack. Any height modification or removal of a beam should not be carried out without consulting the manufacturer.

Beam capacity must be respected: the manufacturer determines this figure based on the shape, width, gauge, material characteristics, and forming process. The manufacturer should include a permanent identification mark on beams or shelves it produces. They also affix a weight label indicating the rated weight capacity of the beam and the maximum allowed per shelf or the total weight capacity of a bay.

Space Between Loads and Underneath Beams

Insufficient space has been shown to compromise safe handling and increases the risk of falling loads. Thus, it’s necessary to:

• Leave at least 75 mm between a load and the beam above it

• Pallets should overhang both the front and back beam by 50 to 100 mm.

In addition to following the aforementioned regulations, pallets, beams, fasteners, safety pins and bolts must be inspected regularly for any deformations, loosening, or corrosion. Safety bars can also be installed behind the forklift operator to reduce the risk of crushing by the lower pallet beam when objects are oriented transversally.