Regulations in force on shelving marked CE

In many industrial activities, both large and smaller, shelving is a constant in every warehouse. Very often it can happen, especially in historical companies, that the oldest shelving have been self-built and therefore it is almost impossible to trace the materials of the time and the way they were erected.

Over the years, however, the regulations concerning the shelving have been developed and modified to ensure greater safety and a more efficient use, in this regard, the shelves have finally come to obtain the CE mark.

MARKING CE

Before launching into the CE discussion, it is important to distinguish shelving by type. Very often we ask ourselves the following question: but the shelving used in industry are to be considered as furniture or work equipment? In addition, in the Consolidated Text on Safety at Work 81/08 refer to Title II or Title III?

For more clarity, let’s see how interpellation 16/2013 classifies the different types of shelving:

LIGHT (CE marking not required)
Lightweight shelving is used in stores, archives, commercial establishments and also in warehouses that store goods that are not excessively heavy. This category also includes light compactables and light shelving equipped with multi-storey walkways.

MEDIUM AND HEAVY (CE marking required)
Le scaffalature medie/pesanti includono i portapallet, cantilever, drive in, drive through.

EXTREMELY HEAVY (CE marking required)
Very heavy duty shelving includes plate racks with a load capacity per floor of 5 to 20 tons, heavy duty compactables and all those intended for colis storages.

SHELVING MARKED CE: PERIODIC CHECKS.

A shelving system bearing the CE mark must first have been designed and studied according to precise standards. In order to be subjected to the CE inspection, the shelving system must include the Use and Maintenance Manual; if it does not have one, reference must be made to a European standard. The next step is to check the state of the beams, uprights, sleepers and diagonals, that is, to carry out a real visual inspection of the structure. If the shelving unit stands very high, it is important to check that it is anchored to the ground. The person who has to carry out this check is the PRSES, i.e. the person responsible for the safety service of the storage facility, who is appointed internally in the company and has to commit to keeping the racking in good condition. The position of PRSES can be held either by the company’s own staff or by an external person, the important thing being that they have followed a specific course at the racking manufacturer. If necessary, the manufacturer himself can carry out the checks and act as PRSES.

ce marked pallet racks

COMPULSORY CE MARKING FOR INDUSTRIAL SHELVING ALL THE NECESSARY DOCUMENTATION.

In Europe is in force the Construction Products Regulation 305/2011, therefore a shelving system to be marketed on European soil must comply with this regulation to the letter. When buying a shelving unit, it must have, in addition to the CE marking, the Declaration of Performance, the document that specifically indicates the manufacturer, the manufacturer, the detailed description of the product, all complete with the date of purchase and all the technical data of the shelving unit. The Declaration of Performance must also specify the body that has certified the proper functioning of the shelving.

According to the European Construction Regulation is mandatory, not voluntary, to comply with the technical standard, referring to UNI EN 15620:2009 integrated with UNI EN 15635:2009, which refer to the use of industrial shelving.

When marking a CE racking system, it is mandatory to draw up also the capacity signs, which must contain the following information:
– Year of construction
– Job order
– Type of shelving
– Type of structure
– Height of sides
– Capacity
All of these data must be entered on the capacity signs only. These should be written in clearly visible colors and placed at the beginning and end of the shelving, at a height that allows immediate reading.