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Download it free.
Download the Word file to fill in on your computer, or the PDF to print.
Editable checklist
A pallet racking inspection checklist is only useful if people on the floor can use it between formal inspections. This free Word checklist gives a warehouse host a bay-by-bay walk, a damage grading rule you set yourself and a log for what gets found, fixed and signed back into use.
It is an editable Word file, so you can swap in your own site, aisle ranges, supplier contacts and time limits before printing it for the floor. A PDF copy is there for printing as it stands.
Why racking checks fall between the gaps
WorkSafe Victoria says damaged or overloaded racking can collapse onto employees stacking pallets and cause serious injury or death. Its pallet racking guidance says racking should be inspected frequently, that employees should report impact damage straight away and that damage should be recorded, for example with labelled tags.
The weak point is usually the middle layer. A formal inspection by a competent person happens occasionally, and a knock can happen in any shift. In between, a supervisor needs a short, repeatable walk that shows which bays were looked at, what was found and who owns the fix. Chandler's own post on a routine racking check your team can run covers the same habit in prose.
Agency workers add one more gap. A casual operator may be on site for a single shift, so the damage-reporting rule has to be said out loud at the racking, not left in a policy folder. In Victoria, a host has the same health and safety duties to labour hire workers as to its own employees.
What is inside the checklist
- Control table: site, area or aisle range, inspector, date, racking supplier or installer contact and competent person.
- How to use it: an inspection rhythm table with four layers (routine aisle walk, documented walk, periodic inspection by a competent person, after any impact) and a blank column for the interval you chose.
- Damage grading rule: Red (stop use, unload safely, cordon), Amber (tag, report, repair within your time limit) and Green (note and monitor), with wording you edit.
- Bay-by-bay inspection: a landscape table with OK, Damage or N/A for thirteen checks per bay.
- Damage report and action log: location, description, photo ref, grade, who was told, cordoned Y/N, who was contacted, repaired date and sign-back.
- Forklift and operator practice check: pallets placed square, no climbing, no unauthorised changes and impacts reported.
- Supervisor briefing script and sign-off: a short script for agency workers, a briefing record and a sign-off table.
How to use it
- Download the Word file and replace the bracketed placeholders with your site, aisle ranges and contacts.
- Ask your racking supplier or competent person which intervals suit your system, then record them in the rhythm table.
- Walk one aisle range at a time, mark each bay, grade any damage and log it before the shift ends.
- Brief new agency workers at the racking and keep the briefing record with the walk sheet.
Who should use it
Warehouse managers, shift supervisors and health and safety leads at host employers in Victoria and New South Wales who use standard selective pallet racking. It also helps site managers who take on casual or agency forklift operators at peak.
Related Resources
- Pallet racking inspection: a routine check your team can run
- Labour hire induction checklist for host employers
- Toolbox talk, JSA and hazard report pack for agency workers
- Forklift licence and site authorisation register
- Forklift pre-start checklist
- WorkSafe Victoria pallet racking operation and maintenance
- SafeWork NSW pallet racking fact sheet
Frequently Asked Questions
How often should pallet racking be inspected?
Ask your racking supplier or a competent person, and record the answer. WorkSafe Victoria says informal inspection frequency should follow the manufacturer's or competent person's recommendation, for example daily or weekly, and that a competent person should complete a formal inspection every 12 months. The checklist has a column for the interval you chose.
Who is a competent person for racking?
WorkSafe Victoria describes a competent person as someone who has acquired the knowledge and skills for the task through training, qualification or experience. For racking, ask for evidence of experience with racking before you book.
Do Red, Amber and Green match WorkSafe's damage classes?
They are host labels. WorkSafe's damage flowchart, which follows AS 4084.2:2023, sorts damage into very serious, hazardous and acceptable. If you map your grades to those classes, do it with your supplier or a competent person.
Does it work for drive-in or cantilever racking?
It is written for standard selective racking. WorkSafe Victoria and SafeWork NSW both say other types may need extra measures, so ask your supplier before you adapt it.
Is this legal advice?
No. It is a general guide that does not replace your supplier's instructions, AS 4084.2:2023 or advice from a competent person.
Check One Aisle Before the Next Shift
Print one copy, walk one aisle and see what the sheet shows. If you are planning to bring in agency forklift operators or warehouse crew, request staff from Chandler Personnel and give them the racking briefing on day one.
