Rusch Rack Inspections

Rusch Rack Inspections We inspect racking systems to provide recommended repairs and replacements

I spent this week talking about how the UK and US handle pallet rack safety differently.Five posts. Five real difference...
04/16/2026

I spent this week talking about how the UK and US handle pallet rack safety differently.

Five posts. Five real differences. Here's the short version:

1. The UK requires annual rack inspections by law. The US doesn't.
2. The UK has a standardized traffic light system for damage severity. The US has no equivalent.
3. UK rack inspectors need formal certification. In the US, anyone can call themselves an expert.
4. The UK designates a Person Responsible for Racking Safety at every facility. Most US warehouses have nobody assigned to that job.
5. A racking collapse in Leeds killed two workers in 2025. Two companies were prosecuted. Over $185,000 in fines. The lesson belongs here too.

Same steel. Same physics. Same consequences when something fails.

If any of this made you think about your own facility, check our page for the full posts this week. Worth a read.

In February 2026, a racking collapse killed two workers at a UK warehouse.Two companies were prosecuted. Combined fines:...
04/15/2026

In February 2026, a racking collapse killed two workers at a UK warehouse.

Two companies were prosecuted. Combined fines: over $185,000. But the money is the smallest part of the cost.

Two people didn't come home. Families broken. A workplace that will never feel the same.

The UK has a mandatory inspection system: annual certified inspections, designated on-site safety personnel, and a standardized damage classification system. All of it exists because they've learned these lessons before and decided not to repeat them.

In the US, OSHA is mostly reactive. They show up after something happens. The burden is on you to find the problem before it finds you.

Steel fails the same way on both sides of the Atlantic. The physics don't care about regulations. The only variable is whether someone looked before the load came down.

Your racks should be inspected this year. Not because the law says so. Because two workers in Leeds didn't make it home and that story is preventable.

The UK has a job title most US warehouses have never heard of: the PRRS. Person Responsible for Racking Safety.One desig...
04/14/2026

The UK has a job title most US warehouses have never heard of: the PRRS. Person Responsible for Racking Safety.

One designated person on site, every day, specifically trained to watch the racks. Checking for damage. Maintaining a log. Coordinating repairs. Making sure nothing gets missed between annual professional inspections.

In most US warehouses, racking safety lives in the gray zone between safety, maintenance, and operations. Everyone assumes someone else has it. Usually nobody does.

Here's the good news: designating a PRRS costs nothing.

Pick someone. Give them a half-day of training. A weekly checklist. Authority to tag damaged bays. That's it.

You'll be amazed what gets found in the first week just because someone finally knows it's their job to look.

Does your facility have someone who owns rack safety? Or is it living in the gray zone?

In Atlanta. Booth is going up.Setup day at MODEX 2026.Tomorrow this place turns into the biggest material handling event...
04/12/2026

In Atlanta. Booth is going up.

Setup day at MODEX 2026.

Tomorrow this place turns into the biggest material handling event in the country. Booth 5709 A is almost ready.

If you're here and see us setting up, come say hi. If you're coming Monday, we'll be at Booth 5709 A all four days.

It's go time.

Last inspection day before MODEX.Cincinnati today, then rolling to Atlanta Sunday for setup.𝗠𝗮𝘆𝗯𝗲 𝗶𝘁 𝘄𝗼𝘂𝗹𝗱 𝗯𝗲 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗵 𝘁𝗵𝗲 ...
04/10/2026

Last inspection day before MODEX.

Cincinnati today, then rolling to Atlanta Sunday for setup.

𝗠𝗮𝘆𝗯𝗲 𝗶𝘁 𝘄𝗼𝘂𝗹𝗱 𝗯𝗲 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗵 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗵𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝘁𝗼 𝗴𝗼 𝘁𝗵𝘂𝗿 𝗧𝗲𝗻𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗲𝗲. 😎

I keep thinking about this: I'm about to be in the same building as thousands of the people I've been trying to reach for years. Warehouse managers. Safety directors. Facility managers. Distributors. All of them. One building. Four days.

If that's not a reason to show up ready, I don't know what is.

Booth 5709 A. See you Monday.

Rolling to Atlanta.Inspections wrapped in Ohio and Cincinnati. Truck is loaded. Heading south.MODEX setup is tomorrow. S...
04/10/2026

Rolling to Atlanta.

Inspections wrapped in Ohio and Cincinnati. Truck is loaded. Heading south.

MODEX setup is tomorrow. Show opens Monday.

If you're going to be there and haven't added Booth 5709 A to your list, add it now. 10-bay inspection preview at no cost for anyone willing to let us take photos. No obligation. Most people see how it works and invite us back for the whole system.

See you there.

In the UK, every rack inspection comes with a traffic light rating.GREEN: Good to go.AMBER: Fix it within 30 days or it ...
04/10/2026

In the UK, every rack inspection comes with a traffic light rating.

GREEN: Good to go.
AMBER: Fix it within 30 days or it automatically becomes red.
RED: Offload immediately. Do not use until repaired.

Simple. Clear. No guessing.

In the US, there's no standard system like this. Two inspectors can look at the same damaged upright and write two completely different things in their reports. One says "recommend repair." The other says "critical." Neither is wrong. Neither is the same.

When I do an inspection, I give every facility a prioritized report. Red first, amber next, green last. The priority list writes itself and the manager knows exactly what to do Monday morning.

That's what every rack inspection should look like. If your last report was just a list of observations with no priority order, you didn't get a full inspection. You got a list.

Eric Rusch is headed for Atlanta after a quick stop in Marysville Ohio and another quick stop in West Chester Ohio. At ...
04/09/2026

Eric Rusch is headed for Atlanta after a quick stop in Marysville Ohio and another quick stop in West Chester Ohio. At least I'm not going all the way to Florida this time. 😁

The UK legally requires annual pallet rack inspections. The US doesn't.In the UK, it's PUWER law. Professional inspectio...
04/09/2026

The UK legally requires annual pallet rack inspections. The US doesn't.

In the UK, it's PUWER law. Professional inspection, at least once a year, no exceptions. The UK also layers daily operator checks and monthly internal reviews on top of that.

In the US, OSHA has no specific rack inspection standard. They use a broad General Duty Clause. ANSI MH16.1 is the industry's best standard, but it's voluntary. Nobody is making you do it.

The result? Most US warehouses don't get inspected until something breaks, falls, or someone gets hurt.

I've been doing this for over 25 years. I've walked into facilities where damage had been sitting there for years because nobody was required to look and nobody thought to ask.

The UK figured it out: mandate the inspection and people actually do it.

Your racks aren't going to flag themselves. When was your last professional inspection?

04/09/2026

On the road to MODEX. But not directly.

Inspection in Marysville, Ohio today. Cincinnati tomorrow. Then we roll south to Atlanta for setup Sunday.

Racks don't stop needing inspection just because a trade show is coming up.

If you're in central Ohio or Cincinnati and you've been putting off that inspection conversation, call me today. 616-291-7205.

And if you're heading to MODEX next week, look for Booth 5709 A.

Address

2689 Wilson Avenue NW
Grand Rapids, MI
49534

Telephone

+16162917205

Website

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Rusch Rack Inspections posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Contact The Business

Send a message to Rusch Rack Inspections:

Shortcuts

Share

Category