The AMH Family: American Material Handling ↗ RackRepair.com
Red Flags — Be Aware

Is Your Rack Safe?

Most rack collapses start low — within the bottom 24 inches. These small signs could be warning you of something bigger.

Why This Matters

It only takes one hit

A single forklift impact can compromise a fully loaded rack in seconds. This is what's at stake when damage goes unassessed.

Real footage of a warehouse rack impact — exactly the event that should trigger a post-impact inspection.

$1B+Cost of rack incidents across U.S. warehouses every year
85%Of rack damage comes from forklift impact
1 in 6Facilities has a rack at risk of collapse
More likely to get an OSHA citation with no documented inspection program
Pallet rack damage identified during a RackRepair.com inspection
Damage of the kind flagged during a RackRepair.com on-site assessment.
During a Walkthrough

What to look for

Not all rack damage requires immediate action, but all rack damage requires honest assessment. Use this working classification during your own inspections, and flag anything moderate or severe for a professional look.

Top 5 Signs

Watch For
Bent or twisted uprights
Dents or tears within the bottom 24"
Loose or missing anchors
Beam-end connector deformation
Rusted or cracked baseplates

Damage Severity

Classification
Cosmetic
Paint scratches, minor surface rust, minor dents that don't affect the cross-section. Monitor — no immediate action.
Moderate
Visible deformation of a column or beam, base-plate damage, impacted anchoring. Assess promptly — likely needs repair.
Severe
Significant column deformation, rack visibly out of plumb, base plate torn from the floor. Remove from service immediately.
Building an Inspection Program

It doesn't need to be complex

A defensible program is mostly cadence and documentation. Four habits cover the vast majority of risk. Need more than repair — layout changes or reinstallation? AMH's in-house crews handle it under the same roof.

Monthly

Designated visual check

A trained employee walks the floor monthly; a full-system review happens annually.

Documented

Dated findings log

A simple dated record of findings and the corrective actions taken.

Post-impact

Trigger protocol

Any forklift contact triggers a formal inspection before the area returns to service.

Annual

Professional inspection

Our 172-point Rack Safety Inspection, built on FM Global, ANSI RMI MH16.1, and DS89 standards — existing damage plus anything likely to cause it.

And the program gets smarter every year: we log the aisle and bay location of every repair, so you get hot-spot reports, year-over-year damage trends, real numbers for R&M budgeting, and the liability documentation your insurer and OSHA file expect.

24 hrCallback on every service request
5 daysFrom inspection to written quote
48 hrEmergency dispatch within 300 mi of Memphis
Post-impactFormal inspection protocol after any forklift contact

Not sure how bad it is? A rack safety inspection gives you a straight answer.

Request an Inspection