Here at A1 Precision Solutions, we both supply and install pallet racking. We understand that for many businesses, pallet racking can be a significant expense. Because of this, a lot of businesses look to save money where they can when it comes to their racking. For some this may mean buying used pallet racking. Used pallet racking can be a good option for businesses on a budget, although it can sometimes limit what’s available when it comes to warehouse storage.

Other businesses often look to install their pallet racking themselves, and we often get the question “can we do this?”

The short answer is yes, you can install your own pallet racking. However, there’s a “but” to consider.

Although installing pallet racking isn’t a difficult job, there are a few challenges that businesses may face in the installation process. Firstly, making sure the business has the right tools to install the racking. This may not be a challenge for some businesses, but for others, they may not have the right equipment to properly secure the pallet racking to concrete floors (for example). For smaller racking set ups, self installation may not be a problem, but as warehouses get bigger, more pallet racking is required, and often higher pallet racking. Installing something like this requires special equipment like scissor lifts and safety concerns about working at height, something a business may not be able to do.

The True Limitations Of Installing Your Own Pallet Racking

Even if a business has the required equipment to install pallet racking themselves, the true limitations in the self installation may not be immediately obvious.

Firstly, a business needs to consider how good a job its own team will do at installing pallet racking themselves. A business may have top notch warehouse staff, but how much pallet racking installation experience do they have? Pallet racking installation isn’t a complex job, but like anything, experience helps. Workers with lack of experience may take longer and make small mistakes that need to be corrected in the future. Additionally, while workers are erecting pallet racking, they’re not doing other tasks required to keep a business operating, so in a lot of ways, a business owner is paying for workers time to put up the pallet racking and then paying them again to catch up on their regular duties. The savings can quickly go away.

However, the biggest issue when it comes to pallet racking self installation is ensuring it’s certified for safety in line with relevant Australian Standards, notably AS4048:2023. Not only does AS4048:2023 say that a pallet racking inspection needs to happen at least once a year, it also needs to be certified as safe once it’s put up. If a company puts pallet racking up themselves, how is it supposed to be certified? Many companies won’t certify pallet racking if they know nothing about the installation itself, making it cost more time and money finding a company that will. With that in mind, if a business installs pallet racking themselves without completely understanding the Australian Standards, they may make mistakes that need to be fixed or rectified before the pallet racking can be certified; again, costing more time and money.

Get Your Pallet Racking Professionally Installed

Although it’s certainly possible for a business to install pallet racking itself, it’s usually not the best idea to do so. There may be some initial money savings, at least on paper, but those savings can quickly go away when you consider taking staff away from their other duties and their experience. At best, the pallet racking will be installed properly, but getting it certified may be difficult. At worst, the pallet racking won’t have been installed correctly, which will require even more time and money to get it fixed.

If you need help with your pallet racking installation, contact us today.