Health and Safety for Beginners Forums

morning all

currently having a discussion with the SMT over pallets next to a walk way, we are requesting they are at least a meter away and not double stacked does anyone know the guidlines?

thanks

We will need some more details.

If it's empty pallets you can have a lot more than if there is a 7ft American fridge freezer on it.
If it has a substantial strength box taking the whole of the pallet area then 2 may be possible.
I prefer pallets to be stacked in racking.
There are no guidelines I have ever seen.

I always specify a fall zone but these are normally overruled.

See how stable the items are, will it degrade over time, if it did fall how far?



Set a couple up and hit it with an FLT see if it falls, if not its passed, This is a joke btw but someone will try it in situ sooner or later, you will need to use your judgement.

many thanks

they are IBC of chemicals

I am not familiar with the use of IBC, we have a few for add blue but we only stack 1 high anywhere.

I take it it's not long term storage if it is does it need to be on a bund? are there likely to be any spillage on the outside wich may cause harm if contacted by pedestrians?
What are the properties of the chemicals?
Are they in good condition?

If it was our add blue I would have no issue having a single pallet directly next to the walkway, provided there was sufficient space to walk past in the event of an evacuation and it does not restrict vision around corners where hazards may be present.

If it was a drippy vat of hydrofluoric acid I would want 3-meter clearance with a bund on a bund on a bund.

thanks for the advice

Just to add to Steve's comments....

There are no official 'guidelines'.
We rarely do prescriptive rules or guidelines in the UK, because if we did we would be like the USA where practically every bit of legislation needs a FLT to move it because they try to cover every possibility and often consequently leave a loophole somewhere.
Imagine the size of the rule book if we were writing it for everything from IBCs to boxes of Toilet Tissue.

You need to consider what is on the pallets (you've said IBC), what the contents are, the dangers of them falling, the stability, the relative weights, the width of the walkway, etc.


Bottom line is not 'What are the guidelines'; it's 'What does the risk assessment conclude'.

Hi redlee.

Just a warm welcome to HSfB from me. Good to have you aboard.