Across South East Queensland, Brisbane and the Gold Coast, it appears that Workplace Health and Safety inspectors are becoming far more active in industrial estates. In many cases, they are visiting businesses that have never previously been inspected and uncovering issues the owners did not even realise existed.
From our perspective at QLD Storage Systems, this increased scrutiny has exposed a common trend. A large number of warehouses are not set up correctly from a racking safety and compliance point of view.
When inspections reveal more than paperwork issues
We are regularly seeing situations where an inspection highlights serious structural problems, not minor administrative oversights. These include pallet racking that is leaning, out of level, incorrectly balanced, or built using non-compliant components such as older 80 mm frames where current standards require 90 mm frames.
It is also critical to seek reliable advice from a reputable racking company. In one recent case, a business owner contacted us after another provider suggested the issue could be resolved simply by installing new SWL signage. The owner sensed that this advice did not address the real problem and reached out to us for a thorough racking inspection. When our team assessed the site, it was immediately clear that the issues ran much deeper. The racking itself was unsafe and had multiple compliance failures that could not be resolved with SWL signs alone.
Many warehouse operators know when something does not feel right in their facility, but they are unsure where the line sits between untidy, inefficient, and genuinely unsafe. That is why engaging an experienced and independent inspection team you can trust is essential to ensure your racking is safe, compliant, and fit for purpose.
“I didn’t know I needed an inspection”
A common response from business owners is surprise. Many genuinely do not realise that pallet racking inspections are required on an ongoing basis. A useful way to think about it is the roadworthy certificate analogy. If you ask most people selling a car whether it has a current roadworthy, they understand immediately. Ask a younger person, however, and they may not know what you are referring to unless someone has walked them through the process.
In warehousing, that same level of commonplace awareness often does not exist. Unless someone tells you that pallet racking inspections are required annually, how would you know?
The current increase in inspections is improving awareness across industrial parks. Inspectors are going door to door, and for many businesses, that first visit is the moment they realise there may already be an issue.
When inspections turn into negligence risk
There is another critical point that warehouse operators need to understand. Once a business has had an inspection and has been made aware of issues, doing nothing increases risk.
We have seen cases where sites were inspected multiple times over several years, with the same issues raised repeatedly and never addressed. In one example, the person responsible for workplace health and safety left the business, and it later became clear to the business that none of the recommended actions had been implemented. That situation exposed management to significant risk because the business had been formally informed of the problems.
From a compliance and liability perspective, being unaware and being informed but inactive are very different positions.
Why proactive inspections matter
Regular pallet racking inspections allow issues to be identified early, before they become incidents, enforcement actions, or business-ending events. They also give owners and managers clarity. You know where you stand, what needs to be addressed, and what can be planned over time.
With increased inspection activity across Queensland, now is the right time for warehouse operators to be proactive rather than reactive. Being handed a short deadline to complete major works puts unnecessary pressure on your business and removes a lot of control you have over the situation. By taking a proactive approach to regular inspections, you stay in control of the timeline and can plan corrective works in a structured and manageable way.
If you are unsure when your last inspection was, or whether your racking complies with current standards, it is worth finding out before someone else does.
Contact The Team At Queensland Storage Systems Today
With Workplace Health and Safety inspections increasing across Queensland, now is the time to ensure your pallet racking is safe, compliant, and fit for purpose. If you are unsure when your last inspection was, or whether your racking meets current Australian Standards, QLD Storage Systems can help. Our experienced team provides independent pallet racking inspections that identify real safety and compliance issues, not just surface-level fixes. To make compliance easier to manage, QLD Storage Systems also maintains an inspection database and sends annual reminders to clients when their next inspection is due, helping you stay ahead of requirements without relying on memory or staff turnover. Contact QLD Storage Systems to arrange an inspection and take a proactive, controlled approach to warehouse safety and compliance.
About Mennolt Regtien
Mennolt Regtien brings more than 20 years of hands-on experience in the storage and pallet racking industry in Australia, backed by a broader career spent helping businesses grow, improve productivity and solve operational challenges. Before moving into pallet racking and storage systems, he spent around 10 years consulting to small and medium businesses on growth and development, and earlier worked in venture capital and startups, including helping Australasian companies expand into Asian and US markets.
His experience helps him look beyond the racking itself to understand each client’s wider business goals, identify operational issues quickly, and recommend storage solutions that support both efficiency and future growth.
