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The racking inspection log: what it contains and why it must be kept up to date

The inspection log records the technical history of a racking system, from installation and inspections through to repair work, and provides the documentary evidence with which a company demonstrates that the installation is kept under control. This article outlines the framework set out in UNI EN 15635 — appointment of the PRSES, inspection intervals, damage classification — clarifies how responsibilities are allocated under Italian Legislative Decree 81/2008 (D.Lgs. 81/2008), lists the contents of a complete log and explains why its usefulness depends on it being updated consistently.

The document that tracks the life of the installation

From a management perspective, a racking system is not a static structure. Over its service life it is installed, commissioned, loaded according to a defined load capacity scheme, struck by handling equipment, repaired and sometimes reconfigured to meet new storage requirements. Each of these events changes the condition of the installation compared with the original design.

The inspection log brings this sequence together and serves the same purpose for racking that a logbook serves for other work equipment: at any time, it makes it possible to reconstruct how the installation was built, what condition it is in, what defects have been identified and what work has been carried out.

The difference from a mere formality is substantial. The log does not certify that a document has been filled in, but that a structured, continuous inspection process exists. This is why, together with the risk assessment document and the load notice, it is among the first items requested during a regulatory inspection and in investigations following a collapse or an accident: an inspection that has been carried out but not documented cannot be reconstructed after the event and, in evidential terms, is indistinguishable from one that never took place.

The framework defined by UNI EN 15635

The reference standard for the use and maintenance of storage equipment is UNI EN 15635: a voluntary technical standard, not legally binding, but recognised as good practice and adopted as a shared reference by suppliers, inspectors and enforcement authorities. It defines four elements, and the log is the point where they all converge.

Appointment of a responsible person. The standard requires the appointment of a PRSES (Person Responsible for Storage Equipment Safety), designated by the employer as the single point of reference for the safety of the storage system. Their responsibilities include:

  • Identifying the racking supplier and the technical data of the installation;
  • Defining and carrying out the periodic inspection programme;
  • Understanding the hazards associated with warehouse activities, based on the risk assessment;
  • Overseeing operator training;
  • Keeping and updating the inspection log.

In smaller companies, the same person may hold more than one role, provided they have the necessary competence: verifying this remains the employer’s responsibility and must be documented.

Inspections at defined intervals

Inspection is structured on three levels, each with its own frequency and an increasing level of competence:

  • Immediate reporting by operators of any impact or defect detected during put-away and picking, without waiting for the next inspection;
  • Internal visual inspection, carried out by trained in-house staff under the responsibility of the PRSES, with a weekly reference interval that can be adjusted according to the risk assessment and the intensity of handling activity;
  • Technical inspection at intervals not exceeding 12 months, carried out by a competent person independent of day-to-day operations, covering 100% of the installation rather than a sample, and followed by a written report.

These are complemented by the post-installation inspection, carried out by the installer together with the inspector designated by the company, and by an extraordinary inspection after any event that may have compromised the integrity of the structure.

The annual rack inspection is when the log is updated systematically. Bay by bay, the inspector records the condition of uprights, beams, bracing, base plates and anchors, checks that the loads actually stored match the capacities declared on the load notice, verifies plumb and alignment against permitted tolerances, and assigns a risk level to each defect. The findings are set out in the inspection report, which forms the main record for the year and the benchmark against which subsequent findings will be assessed.

Classifying damage by risk level

The standard links each finding to an assessment and a corresponding action:

  • Green — minor defect within acceptable limits: recorded in the log and monitored at the next inspection;
  • Amber (yellow) — defect requiring action: temporary use is permitted under a scheduled maintenance plan, with the bay unloaded at the earliest opportunity and not reloaded until repairs have been completed;
  • Red — serious structural damage: immediate unloading, removal from service and isolation of the bay, with the component replaced before the bay is returned to use.

Recording and retaining results. The results of every inspection must be recorded in writing, retained and made available. This is the element that turns the previous three from separate activities into a management system, and it is the very function of the log.

Allocation of responsibilities

Racking is work equipment. Article 71 of Italian Legislative Decree 81/2008 places the obligation to ensure its maintenance, and to have it periodically inspected by competent persons, on the employer of the user company — not on the supplier, the installer or the designer. The supplier is responsible for the conformity of what it designed and delivered; the subsequent life cycle is the responsibility of whoever operates the installation.

This has an operational consequence that is often underestimated: commissioning an inspection from an external technician does not transfer responsibility. Appointing a professional or the supplier’s service team meets the requirement to have the inspection carried out by competent personnel, but leaves the company with two further obligations:

  • Retaining documentary evidence of the inspections carried out;
  • Following up on the defects identified, with traceable corrective actions whose effectiveness is verified.

A report that flags components in the amber category and sits on file without triggering a work order, a deadline and a close-out check documents awareness of the risk without documenting how it is managed. An up-to-date log closes this loop and enables the organisation to demonstrate due diligence.

What a complete log contains

An effective log is not a chronological collection of reports, but a body of information organised by area.

  • Installation identification data — a unique code for each rack, bay and aisle, consistent with on-site signage; manufacturer, model and year of installation; configuration (levels, beam heights, intended load unit); permitted load capacities, matching the load notice on display.
  • Installation and commissioning documentation — assembly drawing, instruction manual, declaration of correct installation, post-installation inspection report, structural calculation report and, where applicable, seismic assessment. For second-hand installations or those without their original documentation, validation to UNI 11636.
  • Inspection reports — annual reports stating the inspector’s name and qualifications, records of internal visual inspections, operator reports, and reports of extraordinary inspections stating the event that triggered them.
  • Defects with risk classification — description and precise location of the damage (aisle, bay, level, component) and the risk level assigned.
  • Actions taken — action decided, person responsible, deadline, close-out date, effectiveness check, components replaced.
  • Name of the PRSES and appointment document, together with records of staff information, training and instruction.

Why updating determines the value of the log

A log that stopped being updated two years ago is of limited use: it documents the existence of an inspection system and, at the same time, its interruption. Kept up to date consistently, it produces information that no other source available in the warehouse can provide.

  • Reconstructing the damage history. A deformed upright is an isolated event; the same upright frame repaired three times in eighteen months is information of a different kind. Only the historical record allows this reading.
  • Preventing recurring impacts. A concentration of findings at aisle ends, aisle entrances or areas near the loading bays points to an issue with layout, aisle width, signage or forklift operator training. Addressing the cause — floor-mounted protection, a revised travel route — costs less than repeatedly replacing components.
  • Distinguishing progressive deterioration from sudden damage. A deformation that develops gradually between two inspections requires a different diagnosis from one that appears within a single interval, and the comparison is only possible if earlier findings are available.
  • Preparing for the next inspection. An inspection that can draw on the history starts from known defects, checks that they have been closed out and focuses time on critical areas, delivering better results in the same amount of time.
  • Managing operational changes. New pallet formats, increases in the average weight of load units and reconfigured levels all change the design conditions. The log is where these changes are checked against the permitted load capacities.

Keeping the log does not require significant investment or rare specialist expertise: it requires an appointed responsible person, a defined inspection schedule, a classification of findings and a record of every decision that follows. It is an organisational requirement before it is a technical one, and that is precisely why it tends to be underestimated. Racking deterioration is slow, spread across the installation and almost always caused by factors external to the structure: it remains barely visible until it has consequences. The current trend is towards making this history readable continuously rather than through annual surveys — identification codes applied to bays, findings captured on mobile devices, automatic notifications of close-out deadlines, impact sensors on the most exposed uprights. As the log evolves from a document into a structured data flow, racking maintenance will become increasingly predictive, as is already the case in other areas of industrial maintenance.

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