OSHA PALLET RACK REPAIR STANDARDS

UPDATED JAN 2022

OSHA increased fines by 6.2%. A fine for a willful violation can be as high as $145,000.

The increased cost of fines are a serious reminder that safety violations are costly. Not only do you want to avoid a hefty fine, but more importantly, you want your warehouses operating efficiently and safely to avoid employee harm or casualty, coupled with the expense of lost product. If you have damaged pallet racks, Mac Rak can inspect and repair your pallet racks, making them safe and OSHA compliant.

U.S. Department of Labor announces annual adjustments to OSHA civil penalties

• $1,036 to $14,502 fines for serious violations
• $10,360 to $145,027 fines for willful violations
• $10,360 to $145,027 fines for repeat violations
• $0 to $14,502 fines for failure to post violations
• $14,502 /day past deadline for failure to abate (generally 30 day max)

OSHA is a US federal agency that is responsible for worker safety and health regulations. They mandate industry regulations for all business sectors. Citations serve as an industry warning and are not fined because it does not directly place an employee at risk. A violation is awarded when safety hazards are imminent. Using damaged pallet racks and not tagging them out of service and repairing them is a classic definition of a willful violation.

UPDATED OCT 2019

OSHA Standards

Whenever OSHA doesn’t have a wealth of knowledge or regulations regarding a specific industrial practice (as in the case of pallet rack repair) they defer to the recognized governing body expert in a particular field. There are, however, currently three OSHA regulations which directly and indirectly relate to pallet racking, they include:

1926.250 GENERAL REQUIREMENTS FOR STORAGE:

All material stored in tiers shall be stacked,  racked,  blocked,  interlocked or otherwise secured to prevent sliding, falling or collapse.

PARAGRAPH (5)(a)(1) OF THE OSHA ACT OF 1970 (GENERAL DUTY CLAUSE)

Requires that each employer furnishes to each of its employees a workplace that is free from recognized hazards that are causing or likely to cause death or serious physical harm. This general duty provision can be used by OSHA only where there is no direct standard that applies to the particular hazard and the employer has its own employees exposed to the alleged hazard.

1917.14 MARINE TERMINAL OPERATIONS STACKING OF CARGO AND PALLETS

Cargo, pallets and other material stored in tiers shall be stacked in such a manner as to provide stability against sliding and collapse.