The annual expert inspection is in the diary and the inspection report is filed in the folder. And yet most racking damage occurs between two annual inspections: an impact on a Monday, a missing locking pin after a rearrangement, a pallet that has been sitting askew on the beam for weeks. This is exactly why DIN EN 15635 provides for a second tier, the regular visual inspection by in-house staff, in practice usually weekly and carried out by the so-called rack checker.
Printable checklist: Racking visual inspection – checklist & inspection record (PDF, German) – to tick off on the weekly walk-round.
This article is the tool for it: who inspects, what is inspected, how the result is documented and what to do when a defect is found. The legal basis, inspection tiers and costs of the annual inspection are covered in the guide to racking inspection according to DIN EN 15635; this article deals exclusively with the weekly inspection.
What the weekly inspection does and does not do
In section 9, DIN EN 15635 distinguishes three tiers of monitoring: the immediate reporting of every detected damage by every employee, the regular visual inspection by the person responsible for storage equipment safety (PRSES) or staff appointed by them, and the expert inspection by a technically competent person at intervals of no more than twelve months. As a guide value for the visual inspection, the standard names a weekly rhythm; the actual interval is set by the operator in the risk assessment, depending on throughput, forklift traffic and damage history.
The visual inspection is not a miniature annual inspection. It takes no measurements, it assesses no structural calculations and it does not replace the expert inspection. Its purpose is to find new damage promptly, before it worsens through continued operation, and to stop obvious operating errors such as overloading or missing beam locking pins. A trained eye, a checklist and a walk-through of 15 to 45 minutes, depending on the metres of racking, are all that is needed.
Who inspects: the rack checker
For the visual inspection, the standard does not require a competent person within the meaning of TRBS 1203, but it does require someone who knows what to look for. In practice, this is a warehouse employee who knows the racking system, can classify damage and has the authority to close off a compartment or bay. DGUV Information 208-061 makes clear in section 6.3 that instructed warehouse staff are sufficient for visual inspections, whereas the recurring inspection must be carried out by a person competent to inspect.
The rack checker should bring three things: instruction on the inspection points and the traffic-light system (for instance in a racking safety training course), the load notice and the assembly instructions of the racking as a reference, and a fixed slot in the weekly schedule. A visual inspection that happens "when there is time" does not happen.
The checklist for the weekly visual inspection
The following points cover the inspection blocks that DIN EN 15635 and DGUV Information 208-043 name for visual inspections. Walk the aisle row by row and rate each point as "OK", "defect" or "not applicable".
Block 1: Upright frames and base plates
- Uprights free of dents, kinks, cracks or impact marks, especially in the bottom metre
- Uprights visibly plumb; no lean of the row
- Frame diagonals and horizontals undamaged and firmly connected
- Base plates flat on the floor, anchors or fixings present and tight, no broken concrete edges
- Row spacers between back-to-back rows present and tight
Block 2: Beams and locking devices
- Beams free of deformation, cracks or impact marks; no visible permanent deflection in the unloaded state
- Beam connectors fully engaged in the upright slots, no play
- Beam locking pins or bolts present at every beam end (beam lock against lifting out according to DGUV Information 208-061, section 4.2.3.3)
- Push-through protection on double-sided racking present, unbent, secure
- Depth supports, pallet supports and mesh decks correctly inserted and secured
Block 3: Loading and load notice
- Load notice present on every row, legible and matching the current configuration (beam level spacing, bay widths)
- No apparent overloading: heavy unit loads on the lower levels, no compartment or bay load obviously exceeded
- Pallets centred and with both bearers on the beams, no pallet resting on a single beam or askew
- No damaged pallets (broken boards, missing blocks) in the racking
- Unit loads stably packed and secured; no overhang into the aisle or to the rear
Block 4: Rack protectors and surroundings
- Rack protectors present and undamaged on all corner uprights and through-aisles; deformed rack protectors must be replaced (section 4.2.5)
- Yellow-and-black marking visible
- Aisles free of stored goods, empty pallets and packaging residue; escape routes clear
- Floor markings recognisable, floor without holes or unevenness in the traffic area
- Lighting in the aisle sufficient to detect damage
Block 5: Open items
- Defects from the last visual inspection and the last expert inspection: resolved or still open?
- Closed-off compartments or bays still marked and unloaded?
- Reports from forklift drivers since the last inspection followed up?
On our racking inspection page you will find a checklist to print out. If you prefer to work with a clipboard per row, note the bay number next to each finding so that the expert inspection can later take targeted measurements.
Damage found: what now?
A finding is only resolved once it has been assessed, made safe and documented. For this, the visual inspection uses the same traffic-light system as the expert inspection, but without measurement, and therefore one level stricter when in doubt:
- Green: No damage or only slight damage without recognisable deformation. Note it, keep observing, have it measured at the next expert inspection.
- Amber: Visible deformation on an upright, beam or brace. Do not reload the affected compartment or bay, arrange repair or replacement. According to DIN EN 15635, the damage must be rectified promptly; until then the bay remains closed to new loads.
- Red: Severe deformation, cracked weld, loosened anchor, displaced frame. Unload immediately, close off and cordon off the bay, inform the supervisor and the person responsible for storage equipment safety. According to DGUV Information 208-061, section 5.1.5, storage equipment with hazardous defects must be withdrawn from use until the defects have been rectified.
How the limit values for uprights and beams are measured and classified is explained in the article Damage classes according to DIN EN 15635. For the visual inspection, one rule is enough: anything that looks bent to the naked eye is at least amber.
Damaged components are replaced, not straightened. According to section 7.3 of DGUV Information 208-061, repairs may also be carried out by third-party companies, provided they demonstrate in writing that the storage equipment afterwards corresponds at least to its original operating condition. A beam bent back with a hammer does not meet that requirement.
Documentation: what belongs in the record
The visual inspection is only complete with the record. It serves three purposes: it demonstrates to the employers' liability insurance association (Berufsgenossenschaft) and the insurer that the operator is fulfilling its monitoring duty, it makes damage histories visible, and it is the working basis for the racking inspector at the annual inspection. A usable record contains:
| Field | Content |
|---|---|
| Header | Company, site, storage area or aisle, date, name of the inspector |
| Inspected item | Racking row and bay number (from the rack register or the row labelling) |
| Finding per block | OK / defect / not applicable, with a short description and the traffic-light level in case of a defect |
| Photo | for every amber and red finding, with the bay number in the picture |
| Action | closed off / unloaded / repair commissioned, person responsible, deadline |
| Completion | Date and initials once the defect has been rectified and the bay released |
| Signature | Inspector and the person responsible for storage equipment safety |
Keep the records at least until the expert inspection after next, preferably for the entire service life of the racking. In the event of an accident, complete documentation of the visual inspections is the first thing the Berufsgenossenschaft and the insurer will request. Whether paper, spreadsheet or inspection software is secondary; what matters is that every finding has a bay number, a date and a completion entry.
Typical mistakes in the weekly inspection
- Looking only at the aisle side. The rear of single-sided racking and the inside of double-sided racking are overlooked most often, yet that is where push-through protection and row spacers are located.
- Skipping loaded bays as "not inspectable". The lower upright area, the base plates and the beam connectors are visible even when the racking is full.
- Findings without consequences. An amber finding whose bay continues to be loaded is worse than no finding, because the record then proves that the damage was known.
- Changing inspectors without a handover. Anyone who does not know what was open last week finds only new damage and loses track of the old.
- Not comparing the load notice with reality. After every reconfiguration of the levels the notice must be reassessed; the visual inspection is the moment when this comes to light.
Frequently asked questions
Is the weekly visual inspection required by law?
The German Ordinance on Industrial Safety and Health (BetrSichV) stipulates in § 3 para. 6 that the employer sets the type, scope and intervals of inspections in the risk assessment. DIN EN 15635, as the state of the art, specifies the visual inspection at regular, usually weekly, intervals. Anyone who deviates from this must be able to justify the deviation.
Does the visual inspection also apply to shelving and wide-span racking?
DIN EN 15635 is aimed primarily at forklift-operated racking, and DGUV Information 208-061 names damaging influences such as loading and unloading with industrial trucks as the trigger for the inspection obligation (section 6.1). Hand-loaded racking is less at risk, but not exempt from inspection: overloading and displaced shelves are the typical findings there. A longer interval, monthly for instance, is generally acceptable for them if the risk assessment supports it.
Does the rack checker have to provide proof of training?
A formal qualification is not prescribed for the visual inspection; documented instruction on inspection points, the traffic-light system and the reporting channel most certainly is, under § 12 BetrSichV and § 4 DGUV Vorschrift 1. A one-day rack checker training course covers this and provides the proof for the file.
Who carries out the annual expert inspection?
A person competent to inspect according to TRBS 1203 with knowledge of the system, in-house or external. Kreckler carries out racking inspections to DIN EN 15635 throughout Germany; we answer questions about this at info@kreckler-gmbh.de.
Sources
- DIN EN 15635:2009-08 „Ortsfeste Regalsysteme aus Stahl – Anwendung und Wartung von Lagereinrichtungen", section 9 (inspection, damage classification)
- DGUV Information 208-061 „Lagereinrichtungen und Ladungsträger", edition November 2023, updated version July 2024 (sections 4.2.3, 4.2.5, 5.1.5, 6.1, 6.3, 7.3)
- DGUV Information 208-043 „Sicherheit von Regalen", edition June 2020
- Betriebssicherheitsverordnung (BetrSichV), § 3 para. 6, § 12, § 14
- TRBS 1203 „Zur Prüfung befähigte Personen"