Keep Your Warehouse Compliant & Safe, Book Your Racking Audit Today!

03 9799 2291

Keep Your Warehouse Compliant & Safe, Book Your Racking Audit Today!

TALK TO OUR TEAM: 03 9799 2291

Racking Inspections and Audits

Under the Australian Standards AS 4084:2023, Pallet racking inspections are no longer a recommendation – they are now mandatory, aligning with local workplace health and safety expectations enforced by regulators. Businesses must have an experienced professional audit their racking at least once every 12 months, confirming the structure is free of defects, the racking is being used as specified and that the safe working load signs (SWL) correctly reflect the current configuration. 

Absolute Storage has been auditing warehouses across Victoria since 1991. We know what a racking system looks like after years of daily forklift traffic, and we know exactly what a WorkSafe inspector will be checking for if they walk onto your site.

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How Often Should Racking Be Inspected?

AS 4084:2023 sets a 12-month maximum interval for a formal, documented audit by a competent person.  

If your warehouse runs multiple shifts, has narrow aisles, or sees high forklift traffic, more frequent inspections are worth building into your safety program. Damage from a forklift impact doesn’t wait for your annual audit to happen and a bent upright left unrepaired for eleven months is eleven months of increased risk of harm to your personnel. 

Alongside your formal annual audit, we recommend your own team carries out an informal visual check every few months: watching for obvious impact damage, loose components, and signage that no longer matches how the racking is actually configured. AS 4084:2023 requires that any damage, however minor, be reported and documented as soon as it’s noticed, not held over until the next scheduled audit.

Our Inspection Process

Site Walkthrough
Every audit starts with a walk through your warehouse. We look at layout, forklift traffic flow, aisle widths and how the racking is actually being used day to day, not just how it was originally designed. This tells us where to expect the most wear before we've even opened the report template.
Structural Inspection
We work through every rack, checking uprights, load beams, frame bracing, base plates, floor anchors, and beam safety clips. We're looking for bending, corrosion, missing components, and the telltale dents of forklift impact. Damage isn't always visible from the front of the rack, so we check front to back and top to bottom to catch what a quick glance would miss.
Load Sign & Compliance Review
We verify that load signs are present on every rack, that they are legible and accurate for the beam levels as they're currently configured, not as they were when the racking was installed. Beam heights get adjusted over time as stock changes. If a level has moved even slightly, the safe working load can change, and the load rating of the existing beam and frame configuration needs to be rechecked and load sign updated with the changes.
Risk Classification
Every issue we find gets classified using the WorkSafe traffic light system: Green - Minor wear that doesn't affect structural integrity yet, but should be monitored at the next audit. Amber - Damage that needs repair within a reasonable timeframe before it worsens. Red - Structural damage requiring the bay to be unloaded and repaired immediately. This gives you a clear, defensible way to prioritise repairs rather than a vague list of "issues found."
Written Report
You will receive a full report with photographic evidence, location references and a risk rating for every finding. This is the document that demonstrates due diligence if WorkSafe ever asks for it, and it's written so your team can act on it without needing an engineering background to interpret it.
Repair Quote
Where repairs are needed, we provide a fully costed quote alongside the report. We carry new Schaefer stock plus used components compatible with Colby, Stow, and Dexion systems, so most repairs can be scheduled quickly rather than waiting on long lead times.
Sign-Off & Certification
Once any repairs are complete, we place a dated audit sign on the racking confirming it's been inspected and complies with AS 4084:2023. It's a simple visual confirmation for your staff, your insurer, and anyone auditing your site that the system is safe to use.

Common Issues We Find

Forklift impact damage to uprights

Uprights carry the structural load of the entire bay. Even a glancing impact can bend a column enough to significantly reduce its rated capacity, often without any obvious sign from a distance.

Missing or damaged beam safety clips

These small components stop beams from being dislodged during loading and unloading. Missing clips are one of the most common – and most overlooked – findings in a routine audit.

Load signs that no longer match the configuration

If beam levels have been raised, lowered, or added since installation, the original load sign may no longer be accurate. This is one of the most common compliance gaps we find, and one of the quickest to fix. 

Corrosion and base plate damage

Particularly relevant in coastal, food and beverage, or wash-down environments. Corrosion weakens steel gradually, which makes it easy to miss until an annual audit catches it.

Industries We Work With

Our audit team inspects racking across a broad range of Victorian industries, including: 

  • Manufacturing 
  • Warehousing and 3PL / logistics providers 
  • Retail and wholesale distribution 
  • Automotive and transport 
  • Construction and building materials 
  • Food and beverage storage 
  • Technology and e-commerce fulfilment 

Each environment carries its own risk profile. A cool room shelving system and a high-traffic 3PL selective racking bay don’t fail in the same way, and our inspectors adjust what they’re looking for accordingly.

FAQs

Is a racking audit actually mandatory, or just recommended?

AS4084:2023 confirms it is mandatory. Businesses are legally responsible for having racking inspected by a competent person at least every 12 months.

A full written report with photographic evidence, a WorkSafe-aligned risk rating for each finding, and a costed quote for any recommended repairs.

Yes. Verifying that load signs match the current beam configuration is a core part of every inspection, and we can supply updated, compliant signage on the spot if the configuration has changed.

Yes, inspections are designed to run without interrupting your day-to-day operations.

We flag it immediately as requiring the bay to be unloaded and repaired before it’s used again, and provide a priority quote for the repair.

Yes. Our audits cover all major brands, including Colby, Stow, Dexion and Schaefer systems.

A dedicated, independent auditor from our team, separate from our sales process, so findings are objective rather than upsell-driven.

We provide a costed quote alongside your report and carry stock for fast turnaround, minimising the time any bay is out of action.

Is Your Warehouse Compliant?

AS 4084:2023 makes annual racking audits mandatory, not optional. Book your inspection with Absolute Storage and get a clear, WorkSafe-aligned report you can act on. 

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Request Your Free Racking Audit

As per the Australian Standard (AS4084:2023), pallet racking audits are now mandatory and must be completed every 12 months.

Ensure your facility is safe and fully compliant with a free onsite audit from our expert team.

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