The Australian Standard AS4084:2023 says the pallet racking inspection needs to be done by a competent person.

That sounds simple, but it is left up to interpretation.

Most people would assume a competent person is someone who has been in the pallet racking industry for five or 10 years plus, and is well versed across the whole industry, different brands, different weight capacities and the full spec of the engineering chart.

The key part there is pallet racking industry.

Not just warehousing.

A Warehouse Manager Is Not Automatically A Racking Inspector

A warehouse manager might be highly competent at running the warehouse.

They might know the stock, the staff, the workflow, the forklifts and the daily operations better than anyone.

But that does not mean they understand the full engineering of a pallet racking system.

There are a lot of smaller items that get missed. A competent person in the warehouse may not find them, but a competent person in the pallet racking industry should.

That is the difference.

You Need Someone Who Knows The Nuances

If someone has not read the Australian standards, there is no chance they can find all the nuances and smaller items that need to be double checked.

That could include things like:

• Whether the racking is rated to the correct standard.
• Whether the beam heights match the load sign.
• Whether the system has been modified.
• Whether the components belong together.
• Whether the rust is minor or penetrative.
• Whether the rack should be down rated.
• Whether the installation still suits the way the warehouse is using it.

These are not always obvious from a quick walk past.

Competent Means Knowing What The Rack Is Supposed To Do

A pallet racking inspection is not just looking for damage.

It is understanding what the rack is meant to be doing, what it was designed for and whether it is still being used within that design.

Different brands have different specifications. Different systems have different capacities. Different beam levels change the rating. Different pallet weights change the risk.

That is why “competent person” should be taken seriously.

If the person inspecting the rack does not understand pallet racking, they are not really inspecting it. They are just looking at it.