Here are some tips from The Pallet Guys in terms of properly storing your wood pallets!
It’s always important for any business that utilizes pallets to store and ship their products to also keep a large supply of additional pallets within their warehouse or general business location. Although there’s a relatively good likelihood that you and your team know how many pallets are necessary within each of your shipments, it’s safe to say that all shipping managers understand just how quickly things can change and that your overall number of anticipated pallets can increase with little to no warning.
This is why having extra, on-site wood pallets will always go a long way no matter what your shipping needs tend to be. But of course there are always going to be certain concerns and hassles when you are keeping extra pallets at your business location, so in this article we’ve developed a guide to help you and your business when it comes to ensuring the overall safe storage of your pallets!
Choose One Specific Location To Store Your Pallets
It’s always going to be an ideal strategy to store your extra pallets indoors within a designated area. It will always be best to also make this designated area known to your team members and any visitors, and marking this location can also help avoid any potential accidents.
There’s no denying that randomly scattered pallets throughout your property/warehouse can lead to risky situations. You’re going to want to avoid any workers tripping and falling over pallets, or forklifts and other heavy machinery damaging them.
So when you have a locked-in, central location to store your extra pallets you can ultimately create a much safer work environment that’s free of many different types of potential hazards.
Stack Your Pallets Strategically
Being as organized as possible with your extra pallets will always go a long way, and this includes organization by size and style. The biggest issue that your team is going to want to avoid when it comes to the organizational stacking of your pallets is any potential tipping. One important note to keep in mind is that OSHA actually recommends pallet stacks no taller than 15 feet, and this is primarily to ensure that stacks of pallets are as stable as possible.
It’s also important that you only stack your pallets in their natural, horizontal positioning. There are a lot of risks when your try to stack pallets vertically in an attempt to save space, and this is primarily because these types of pallet stacks can easily fall and ultimately inflict serious injuries or damages.
Understand The Fire Hazards Posed By Wood Pallet Stacks
Wood pallets can sometimes pose a pretty serious fire hazard, especially in the warmer, dry summer months. There’s pretty much no avoiding how flammable wood pallets can be, and even a very small spark can end up setting an entire stack of pallets ablaze.
This is why you should never stack your extra pallets near anything that’s flammable, including propane/gas tanks or any machinery that throws sparks.
Don’t Place Extra Pallets Up Against Your Building
So if it’s necessary for your business to store extra wood pallets outside, then it’s important that you keep them at least a little bit separated from your buildings. This is mainly due to the overall flammability of the pallets and how important it would be to separate the flames from your business structures in the off chance that a fire occurs.
The National Fire Protection Agency has a few recommendations when it comes to the distance you should keep between your buildings and extra pallets, including:
- 50 or less pallets: 20 feet
- 50 to 200 pallets: 30 feet
- 200+ pallets: 50+ feet
Plastic Pallets Can Burn As Well!
Although most people rightfully consider plastic pallets to be considerably less flammable than wood, there are still pretty high chances that plastic pallets can burn too!
If plastic catches fire it can sometimes be even more dangerous than wood, and this is mainly because plastic pallets are always much more difficult to put out. This is why you should always check up on the power of your building’s sprinkler system if you’re considering storing plastic pallets within your warehouse.
The Pallet Guys Can Help You When It Comes To Storing Wood Pallets On-Site!
Our experienced specialists have helped many of our clients when it comes to deciphering their best ways to properly and safely store extra pallets within their property, and we’ll be sure to extend this type of consultation to you as well!
Always feel free to contact us online or call us at 832-895-7555 today to get in touch with our team and learn more about how we can help you store on-site pallets!