Warehouse Shelving FAQs

Shelving can go very high, but you will need to assess how the shelving is intended to be accessed. If the shelving is all being accessed from the ground, the top shelf should not be more than 1.8 metres high. There is the option to access the shelving by steps or scissor lifts, in which case it could be built many metres high, with portal ties between shelves securing them. However, in this case it may be more efficient to have a number of floors, turning them into multi-tier storage. Contact WSL today to discuss your requirements.

The width of your shelving depends on the load as well as on the height of your system. If can often be more cost effective to use shorter beams and more posts, unless there is a need to store something very long.

The depth of your shelving will be dependent on what you are accessing and how it will be accessed. Long items can be catered for with deeper shelving but trying to place smaller items on deeper racks presents a few issues.

For instance: When working from steps it is harder and poses a greater risk to reach into a shelving bay, meaning that all products should be able to be accessed with minimal reach. When working from a flat surface, such as on ground level or on a scissor lift, this is less of an issue. How far you are allowed to reach is mainly determined by the Manual Handling Operations Regulations 1992.

If you intend to access stock by walking into or bending into a bay at ground level then the clear height from the ground to the underside of the first beam should be no less than 2,000mm.

Shelving can be engineered to take almost any weight, as budget will allow. Shelving required to take extremely heavy loads will be more expensive to build, and may also require reinforcements of the floor below the shelves. The operators will also need to take manual handling issues into account, and if Material Handling Equipment will be required, other safety considerations will need to be taken into account. Contact WSL today for more information.

This will depend on the design, whether you have approval stating the load that it can take and whether it is CE marked as a system. If it is not CE marked you cannot put in a walkway supported by the shelving. However, there may be other alternatives such as putting in a self-supporting structure; effectively creating a small mezzanine in the aisle alongside the shelving.

Generally, it is safe to use a stepladder with a rail to access shelving, but not a ladder that leans against the shelves. However, you will need to consider how bulky the items on the shelving are, and whether it is safe and feasible for personnel to carry items up and down. The HSE recommends that only easily gripped items below 10kgs in weight should be carried on a stepladder.

In most cases, building your own layout is perfectly legal, as long as you adhere to all relevant regulation. This is particularly possible if you are following the designs of a manufacturer and have trained and experienced staff. However, for the security of your structure and the safety of your personnel we recommend using approved installation specialists, who will also ensure the shelving is fully inspected after installation.

Shelving construction can take anything from 3-5 weeks, depending on size of shelving. For small sets of shelving the turnaround could be as little as five working days.