Rack Capacity Plaque Requirements

What has to appear on a capacity plaque?

Three figures at minimum. The maximum load per beam level -- what one pair of beams carries. The maximum total bay load -- what the upright frame carries cumulatively across all levels. And the configuration the rating applies to, meaning the beam elevations the figures were calculated for.

The third is the one most often omitted, and it is what makes the first two meaningful. A capacity figure without the configuration it assumes is unusable after any change.

Where should plaques be displayed?

At the end of each rack row, at eye level, visible from the aisle a forklift operator works in. Not on a document in an office, and not on a single sign at the warehouse entrance.

The test is practical: can the person placing a pallet see what the bay is rated for from where they are standing? If not, the plaque is not doing its job regardless of whether one exists.

Who is responsible for the plaque?

The employer. Suppliers normally provide rating information with a new installation, and reputable ones supply plaques -- but the duty to display and maintain accurate capacity information sits with the workplace, not the vendor.

That matters most for racking bought used, inherited with a building, or assembled from more than one system. In those cases no supplier provided anything, and the obligation is unchanged.

What invalidates a capacity plaque?

Any change to the configuration it was calculated for. Moving a beam level, adding one, removing one, replacing a damaged upright with a different component, or relocating the racking all put the displayed figure out of date.

Beam elevation changes are the most common and the most overlooked, because nothing visibly breaks. The rack still stands, the plaque still reads the same number, and the number is now wrong.

What if there is no plaque and no documentation?

Capacity has to be established by assessment rather than assumed. An engineer or qualified inspector determines the rating from the actual components and configuration, and that assessment becomes the basis for the plaque.

This is common in older facilities and in racking assembled from mixed components. It costs more than reading a data sheet, and it is the only defensible answer when documentation is gone.

Does a plaque satisfy the inspection requirement?

No. They address different obligations. A plaque communicates the rating; an inspection verifies the racking is still in a condition to carry it.

CSA A344 calls for expert inspection annually and routine visual checks monthly. A correctly displayed plaque on damaged racking meets neither.

What do provincial regulations require?

The obligation is framed as maintaining racking in safe working condition, which in practice requires the capacity to be known and available to the people loading it.

Ontario Regulation 851 requires that material liable to tip or fall is secured against it. Alberta's OHS Code Part 12 requires racks to be capable of safely supporting what is stored on them and used in accordance with the manufacturer's or an engineer's specifications -- which presupposes those specifications are available at the rack. Manitoba's Workplace Safety and Health Regulation requires racks to be maintained to support any load placed on them.

None of these can be satisfied by a capacity figure nobody can see.