Racking & Storage Equipment Inspector
Annual expert inspection of racking and load carriers for damage, classifying findings green/amber/red per DIN EN 15635. Appointed as a competent person under the Industrial Safety Ordinance.
DIN EN 15635 · BetrSichV · DGUV
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What does a Racking & Storage Equipment Inspector do?
A Racking and Storage Equipment Inspector is a competent person (befähigte Person) who carries out the annual expert inspection of pallet racking, shelving and load carriers for damage and overload. The technical anchor is DIN EN 15635 (Steel static storage systems, application and maintenance of storage equipment), while the legal duty to inspect work equipment follows from §§ 3 and 14 BetrSichV (Betriebssicherheitsverordnung) and the relevant DGUV regulations on warehouse and conveyor equipment.
DIN EN 15635 distinguishes routine visual checks by employees from the periodic technical inspection by a competent person at intervals not exceeding twelve months. The inspector walks the installation, assesses uprights, beams, bracing, baseplates, anchors and connectors, and classifies every finding using a traffic-light scheme: green (acceptable, continue), amber (damage requiring action, monitor and repair within four weeks) and red (critical, immediate offloading and isolation of the affected bay). Components damaged beyond the standard's tolerance limits, for example uprights bent beyond 5 mm over one metre, must be downgraded and exchanged.
The inspector documents the inspection in a written report, recommends remedial action, and verifies that the PRSES (Person Responsible for Storage Equipment Safety) under DIN EN 15635 receives and acts on damage reports. The role connects to load-notice signage, repair tracking and the operator's overall maintenance obligation under BetrSichV, ensuring racking remains within its rated capacity and configuration.
Core duties of a Racking Inspector
- Carry out the expert racking inspection at intervals not exceeding twelve months per DIN EN 15635.
- Assess uprights, beams, bracing, baseplates, anchors and connectors for damage and deformation.
- Classify every finding green, amber or red and apply the standard's tolerance limits.
- Order immediate offloading and isolation of any bay classified red.
- Issue a written inspection report with prioritised remedial actions and deadlines.
- Verify load-capacity notices and rack configuration against the original design.
- Confirm routine visual checks and damage reporting to the PRSES are working.
- Track repairs and re-inspect replaced or repaired components before release.
- Support the operator's documentation duty under §§ 3 and 14 BetrSichV.
- Advise on damage prevention, guard rails and rack protection measures.
Appointment as a competent person
The operator appoints the Racking Inspector as a competent person (befähigte Person) under § 2 (6) BetrSichV. Competence requires a suitable technical education, practical experience with storage equipment, and current knowledge of DIN EN 15635 and the applicable DGUV rules. The inspector may be an internal employee or an external service provider; either way the appointment should be documented and the scope of work defined.
The duty to inspect arises from the operator's obligation under §§ 3 and 14 BetrSichV to determine inspection types, scope and intervals through a risk assessment (Gefährdungsbeurteilung) and to have work equipment checked by competent persons. DIN EN 15635 sets the maximum interval for the expert inspection at twelve months, but a shorter interval may be required where damage rates, fork-lift traffic or environmental conditions are high. Routine weekly or monthly visual checks by warehouse staff supplement, but do not replace, the annual expert inspection.
Appointment is triggered whenever an operator runs static storage equipment that is loaded mechanically. New installations, layout changes, after a rack collision, or a change of operator all require a fresh or repeat inspection. The operator must also nominate a PRSES to receive damage reports and coordinate repairs between inspections.
- Operating pallet racking or shelving loaded by fork-lift or stacker.
- The twelve-month maximum interval under DIN EN 15635 elapsing.
- A rack collision or visible damage to uprights or beams.
- Reconfiguration, relocation or extension of a racking installation.
- Commissioning of new storage equipment.
- Change of operator or responsible person for the warehouse.
Where Racking Inspectors are required
- Logistics and distribution centres
- Wholesale and retail warehousing
- Manufacturing and production stores
- E-commerce fulfilment
- Cold storage and food logistics
- Automotive parts warehouses
- Pharmaceutical and chemical storage
- Building-materials yards
How CIVAC supports the Racking Inspector role
CIVAC keeps the annual DIN EN 15635 inspection cycle on schedule and traceable. Task templates schedule each inspection within the twelve-month interval and trigger reminders before the deadline, so the operator never falls outside the BetrSichV obligation. Findings can be logged with their green, amber or red classification, and red findings raise an immediate action task for offloading and isolation. The audit trail stores inspection reports, repair confirmations and load-notice checks per location, giving the operator and the PRSES a defensible record for authorities and insurers. Training modules document inspector competence, and all data is held with EU data residency.
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