Unitizing is the act of aggregating one or more separate items (typically individual cases or products) into a single unit load. Unitizing typically uses a tie down. This secures the load to the pallet prior to its placement in storage rack. Methods include stretch wrapping, shrink hoods, banding or strapping. The approach used depends on the type of load handled. Yet, not every facility takes the time to ensure that each load is unitized before loading it into industrial steel pallet rack.

Unitized Loads Less Susceptible to Gravity

Unfortunately, thanks to gravity, that omission can significantly increase the safety risks to workers moving among and around the racks. That’s because loose boxes or products that have not been unitized are more likely to fall from an overhead storage position because they are unsecured. As a result, they can potentially strike an employee. That can also damage the product and possibly the racking, too.

Falls occur when a forklift impacts a rack and jolts the item (or items) off the pallet. They also happen when one pallet nudges another during placement in the adjacent open storage position. Other fall causes include movement during a seismic event or shifts due to vibrations from passing fork truck traffic. Regardless, in any of these instances items that aren’t unitized may tumble to the floor. Furthermore, products not secured to the pallet are also at a higher risk of falling during rack loading and unloading. They’re also more likely to fall off during transport throughout the facility.

Best Practice: Inspect Each Load

The best practice to ensure stored items do not topple off of rack is to take a few extra minutes to inspect each load prior to storage to verify proper unitization. Discovered an unsecured load? Unitize it with stretch wrap, a stretch hood or banding/strapping before transporting it to the storage bay. In high seismic areas especially, wrap loads so a forklift can tilt the pallet to 20 degrees without the product falling off.

As an additional measure of protection against falling products, operations managers may choose to add accessories to their rack. These include shelf-style containment systems (drop-in, roll-in or snap-in crossbars; welded-wire rack decking; spaced wood boards; spaced metal channels, angles or plates; solid wood or perforated metal decking) that rest on the pallet support beams, and barriers—such as woven netting or rigid steel mesh—attached to the rack columns. Both types of accessories, however, only provide a secondary measure of protection compared to load unitization.

Learn More About the Importance of Unitized Loads

For more information about the different types of product fall prevention accessories, refer to Section 3.4 of RMI’s publication, “Considerations for the Planning and Use of Industrial Steel Storage Racks,” starting on page 19.