Compliance 101

Posted on October 14, 2020

Aaron Young CEO StorePro

It’s not the most exciting subject – in fact, for many New Zealand companies it can be a real headache. But it’s a necessity, and for good reason.

Why it’s so important

Following the Canterbury earthquakes of 2010/ 2011, NZ realised the importance of ensuring their racking systems were designed to withstand seismic activity. As a result, legislation got tougher and we all had to up our game. Suddenly everyone became a racking expert…or did they????

There’s no doubt this can be cumbersome and costly for NZ businesses. The importance is undeniable though. We need to make sure our people get home safely, everyday.

What’s involved

The compliance of your racking system will depend on a huge range of factors, including what you are storing, where you are located, who occupies the building next door, how many people work in your office and how you operate.

It is a process that takes into account fire, emergency lighting, floor slabs, seismic requirements and producer statements. There is no one single code in NZ that covers racking either.

Confused? That’s ok, you’re not alone.

(P.S. Tune in for our next blog when we’ll share more info on the technical aspects of compliance)

Whose responsibility is it?

In short, it’s yours. As the owner or landlord of a building it’s your responsibility to ensure you obtain a building consent for the installation of your racking system.

If you decide to proceed with installation prior to obtaining consent, the liability sits with you.

But I am only a tenant??? You’re not off the hook. You’ll still need a letter of authorisation from the building owner approving the installation of a racking system in the building.

You’ll need to plan early too because the process takes approximately 10 – 12 weeks before consent is granted.

It’s a tricky thing

Ensuring your pallet racking meets all NZ standards can be tricky. There are a lot of things to consider and a number of codes that need to be followed, but there’s more to it than that.

It’s one thing to have a compliant racking system, but it also needs to meet your needs.

Whether you require increased capacity, better workflow, efficiency, or a combination of all, the ideal racking system will tick all your boxes. And the government’s too.

Then there’s the ongoing audits and maintenance which will ensure you retain the safety of your solution into the future.

Your business, our expertise

At Storepro, it’s our business to understand your business, AND all the ins and outs of compliance.

We’ve been designing, installing, auditing and repairing pallet racking since we started back in 2004. For many members of our team, their experience in the industry dates back well before this.

If you choose to work with Storepro, our in-house design and INDEPENDENT engineering teams make it easy for you to ensure standards are met, without compromising on your business goals.

(Don’t forget, we’ll share some of this expertise in our upcoming blog which will detail more of the technical aspects of compliance)

A case in point

We’ve worked with thousands of clients to deliver the most efficient, effective and compliant solutions.

Our design and installation at Chemfreight is a great example of a solution where we were able to maximise storage capacity, even with demanding safety restraints.

View the case study here.

Handy resources

Or just call us: 0800 RACK UP, or email: [email protected]

 

See you back here next time for part 2…