Do You Need a Racking Inspection After a Forklift Impact?
What UK Law Says About Post-Impact Inspections
The Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 requires employers to maintain work equipment in a safe condition at all times. PUWER 1998 requires that work equipment — which includes pallet racking — is inspected following any circumstances liable to jeopardise the safety of the installation.
A forklift impact is explicitly one of those circumstances. HSG76 states that racking struck by mechanical handling equipment must be inspected before it is reloaded — regardless of when the last annual inspection took place. This is not optional. It is a legal requirement.
Why Forklift Impacts Are More Serious Than They Look
A bend of just 3mm in a 100mm upright can reduce its load capacity by up to 50%. An impact that looks like a small scuff on the surface could have buckled the internal structure of the upright.
Damage to one upright in a bay transfers load to adjacent uprights. If those are already carrying maximum load, the entire run can fail progressively — collapsing like dominoes.
What to Do Immediately After a Forklift Impact
Unload the affected bay immediately — do not wait for an inspection. Isolate the bay with barrier tape or signage. Report the incident to the PRRS and book a post-impact inspection with a SEMA approved inspector before reloading.
Emergency Inspections Nationwide
Rackstor UK Ltd provides emergency post-impact racking inspections across the UK with rapid response times. Call us on 0800 654 6955 — same-day attendance available in most areas.
Do not reload a struck bay until it has been inspected. The risk is not worth it.
Talk to a SEMA inspector
Get a same-day quote for a SEMA approved, SARI accredited pallet racking inspection at your site.