Keeping racking safe

IT’S A simple fact that most warehouse companies need racking to help them run successfully. While you’re concentrating on getting orders out the door, your storage equipment is silently working hard to improve the flow of orders and increase efficiencies.

Yet, that racking can become an issue if the design, installation and maintenance of that structure doesn’t meet the highest standards.  You can easily end up with lost or damaged stock, reduced productivity and reduced safety levels that put your employees at risk. Not only could this be a costly mistake but it could also lead to you not meeting your legal requirements and potentially a visit from the HSE and hefty fines if an accident occurs.

But here’s the thing, getting into this situation this is preventable if you follow the correct steps. That’s why in 2025 SEMA, as a leading voice on racking safety and quality, has been helping warehouse owners and managers to safely navigate the racking industry.

How SEMA support warehouse owners

While it might not be immediately obvious to you, there is a very high chance that the work of SEMA has, in some way, positively impacted the quality and safety of your racking equipment.

For more than 50 years, we have been guiding the industry on how to ensure their racking meets the highest standard of quality and safety. Our advice isn’t about ticking boxes — it’s about preventing accidents, cutting risk, and making sure your storage systems can handle the pressure of daily operations.

SEMA develops Codes of Practice and technical guidance that informs on the safe design, installation and use of pallet racking. We deliver training programmes and have developed an association of Approved Members who follow our high standards. Each step ultimately filters down towards the racking in your warehouse – helping to make it safe. After all, your racking is potentially holding tonnes of stock above your employees’ heads – you need to make sure it stays safely in place.

Helping warehouse owners to Stay Racking Safe

While we have plenty of guidance and initiatives in place to help create a safer racking industry, achieving this is only possible if everyone steps up to the mark. As the warehouse owner or manager, you rely heavily on external partners such as suppliers and inspectors to ensure your storage equipment is fit for the job. But you also have an important role to play to ensure your racking and employees are safe. This isn’t a ‘nice to have’, it is your legal responsibility.

There are numerous steps you must follow over the lifetime of your equipment to ensure it remains in good working order. This includes understanding racking regulations, checking the credentials of your suppliers and installers, training employees and following a continuous inspection process.

To make the process easier for warehouse owners and managers, this year we launched our ‘Stay Racking Safe’ guide. The step-by-step guide breaks down the five practical areas you need to follow over the lifetime of your racking. This includes checking your suppliers, what to look for in a safe racking installation, correct loading practices, what training your employees need and how to maintain your racking.

The Stay Racking Safe guide is free to download by visiting Warehouse Racking Safety Guide | Storage Equipment Manufacturer’s Association Ltd.

SEMA Video

Supporting our Stay Racking Safe guide, we are also developing a series of SEMA videos. These use a mixture of animation and real-life warehouses with racking to show warehouse owners how SEMA can support them through each stage in the lifetime of their racking.

The first video will be an introduction to SEMA and show how our work supports warehouse owners and managers throughout the lifetime of their racking. We will also develop videos that walk through key areas such as what regulations and standards apply to racking and how the design of your equipment factors heavily on the efficiency of your warehouse. We will also produce a further two videos which look at how training over the lifetime of your racking can impact on the safety of your warehouse before finishing with a film about correct maintenance steps.

New SARI training course

A key part of keeping your racking safe is implementation of a continuous inspection process. It is for this reason that we have training courses for employees on how to conduct the Visual Inspection.

But we also run our SEMA Approved Racking Inspector (SARI) initiative which trains professionals on how to conduct Expert Inspections to meet SEMA standards. SARI was set up as a benchmark for the industry and an inspector can only pass the course if they demonstrate a high level of engineering knowledge and inspection expertise.

We are always looking at how to improve standards which is why we have launched a new two-part SARI training course. Part 1 instructs on the assembly of adjustably pallet racking, forklift truck operation, structural awareness and how to undertake a risk assessment. Part 2 builds on the course by looking at factors that influence the warehouse environment, how to undertake an inspection, the methodology for recording rack damage and liaising with the client. To earn their SARI qualification, the delegate must pass both written exams and a practical assessment.

To check inspectors maintain these standards, they must also undertake Continuing Professional Development and attend a refresher course every five years.

Protect your business – avoiding imposters

We expect an incredibly high standard from our racking inspectors, and we know warehouse owners and managers understand the benefit. The SARI qualification gives you peace of mind that the inspector meets a high level of engineering expertise which they can feed into your inspection and keep your storage equipment safe.

We know the SARI qualification is highly valued, which is why there is a growing problem within the industry of inspectors falsely claiming they are SARI qualified. To help warehouse owners and managers check they are working with a valid SARI, we have now launched a SARI Verification tool.

All you need to do is visit https://sari.sema.org.uk/, enter the inspector’s first and last name, their SARI ID card number and then click verify. You’ll instantly see whether they hold a valid SARI qualification.

We want to continue helping warehouse owners and managers in 2026, if you’d like more advice on your racking, find out how to work with a SEMA Member or download our free guide, you can find all the information you need by visiting www.sema.org.uk.