Rack makers address home center safety

SEEMINGLY more frequent of late L)are reports of injuries caused by merchandise falling from racks or forklifts at big box home centers.

The accidents have gotten so much publicity that two Massachusetts representatives are pushing a bill that would require consumers to wear hardhats while shopping in warehouse stores. And, the law firm representing the family of a small girl killed in a Twin Falls, Id., Home Depot, launched a Web site at www.homedepotlitigation.com.

Rack manufacturers feel their products don't cause the accidents, but they are often in the middle of them. "Usually problems in a retail environment occur when prescribed procedures are not followed and someone takes a shortcut, such as setting something in the wrong place," says John Nofsinger, Rack Manufacturers Institute, Charlotte, N.C. "It's like at home when you fall off a ladder. There's not some inherent flaw with the ladder."

Nonetheless. manufacturers are also making tougher racks, especially for applications in areas prone to earthquakes. Not only are engineers taking into account what the racks can support, but also the force they can withstand and balance they can maintain when pushed back and forth or side to side.

While primarily targeted at preventing damage from earthquakes, sturdier racks also provide reinforcement in the event of user error, such as stacking lightweight merchandise on the lower levels and heavy merchandise at the top (as can easily hap- pen when rearranging seasonal products) or removing a pair of lower beams from a rack to create a taller display area. occur when someone takes a shortcut."

Engineers are designing for worst case scenarios by using more metal and sturdier connections. Overdesigning does increase the cost of a rack, so manufacturers must weigh if reinforcements add practical value.

RMI is constantly conducting testing. In fact, such research is usually the group's biggest annual expense. In 1999, along with American Iron & Steel Institute, RMI began computer modeling to better predict the behavior of metal racking in countless circumstances. So far, the two institutes have spent $250,000 developing the program.

Addressing safety concerns is one factor RMI is taking into consideration as it currently revises the national safety standard for metal racking.

In addition, rack manufacturers are always trying to advise and alert users on the needs for proper use and maintenance. The retail store. after all. is the one that pays the insurance premiums and is most susceptible to lawsuits.

Home center safeguards include: o fall protection, such as installing protective decking across lower rack beams to catch materials that fall from higher levels; a better constraining loads, especially for higher levels, such as securely banding together everything on a pallet so stray boxes can't fall off; o barrier protection for rack supports in high-traffic areas, and checking for cracked, broken, undersized or overloaded pallets.

"If you walk into a home center today you'll see much more uniform practices compared to five years ago," Nofsinger says. "The industry has learned a lot from unfortunate circumstances. You won't see many pallets multiple-stacked unless the pallet below is strong enough. Forklift operators usually close off the aisle they're working in as well as the aisle behind it in case they bump an adjacent pallet. Safety posters are all over the walls. They have safety devices, rack anchoring devices, regular safety and maintenance programs."

But, others won't be happy until home centers find a way to keep customers away from 20-foot-tall racks-unlikely since combining their storage and sales areas conserves the big boxes so much space. "In my opinion," says David Johnstone, national sales mgr. for rack producer Clymer Enterprise, "the racks should be in the warehouse. Forklifts are loading and unloading pallets and you've got customers and kids running around. The store is not a place for that; the racks should be in the back. But, that, of course, is a little more expensive for the store."