Your flue spaces and your overall warehouse fire protection efforts are directly connected. This relationship is also closely intertwined with your rack design and the layout of your facility. Though all of these factors are certainly complex and ever-changing, you really just need to know these top five things in regards to sprinkler codes as well as what we discuss below.
What’s unique about your warehouse?
Rack geometry, in conjunction with product size and placement, is an integral part of overall fire suppression. The overall design of your racking as well as your inventory may also determine the location of the sprinkler system. This may impact your flue space needs accordingly. We discuss flue space in the next section. And, of course, when it comes to your flue space and rack design, the two are quite interconnected to each other as well as fire protection.
Clear flue spaces, clear conscience
The importance of flue space cannot be understated. Whether you’re considering the tidiness and safety of your pallet racking or your fire-readiness, your flue space should be clear. That goes for both types of flue spaces — transverse and longitudinal.
- Transverse flue space: As one faces the rack storage array, transverse flue space is the space between commodities on the racks and between the racks themselves.
- Longitudinal flue space: If one were to walk to the end of an aisle and look along the double- or multiple-row long dimension of the racks (back-to-back), this is the longitudinal flue space.
In fact, flue spaces allow vertical fire spread to reach ceiling sprinklers and for sprinklers to reach the warehouse racking without obstructions. Without the proper use of safety solutions to allow for clear flue space, warehouse fires can become devastating.
How to easily add more protection
If you don’t have the time or money to overhaul your storage racks or warehouse fire protection efforts, don’t worry. Our warehouse safety solutions work in a variety of situations. Plus, they’re affordable and easy to install without tools or retrofitting.
- Are your items shrink-wrapped and palletized? Consider our Rack Safety Strap. Rack safety straps create cordoned-off areas to clearly define socially distanced work areas.
- Do you have loose boxes you need to contain within your storage bays? Try the Fixed Rack Safety Net. This acts as a barrier to prevent these items from falling into the flue space or pushing into an adjacent bay.
- Do you operate a fulfillment center with pick-and-pack operations? Consider our Sliding Rack Safety Net. This cuts down on the time your employees need to spend at the racks searching and retrieving products.
- Do you have loose, small items in your racks above areas where equipment is operating or people are working? Consider our Modular Pallet Rack Safety Netting. This product can be overlapped to cover multiple bays, right out of the box. Apply these nets as guarding over walkways and work areas. However, you should choose a different product for flue space protection.
Need additional advice for your application?
After all, we’re happy to discuss your warehouse’s unique safety issues and how our products can help. Let us help you solve your rack safety equipment needs. Contact us today!
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