News
The Comprehensive Guide to Racking Compliance
Posted on October 14, 2020
Compliance is clearly on a lot of business’s minds. Our last blog, Compliance 101, generated a lot of interest, and sparked some interesting conversations.
Quick re-cap
Compliance is a complex process to understand. It takes into consideration a wide range of factors, including what you are storing, where you are located, who occupies the building next door, how many people work in your office and how you operate.
It’s the responsibility of the building landlord to obtain consent, or to provide the tenant with a letter of authorisation for the installation of the racking. You need to plan early too because it takes around 10 – 12 weeks for consent to be granted.
What’s involved?
You’ll need to complete an application for consent from your local council. They’ll expect you to provide them with all the supporting documents, including a certificate of title, site plan and signed letter of approval from the landlord. You’ll also need to provide comprehensive drawings which detail the racking layout, elevations, loadings and bracing requirements – don’t worry, Storepro will provide you with these.
Producer statements
In most cases, the council will rely on a series of producer statements to ensure your racking complies with NZ building codes.
“A producer statement is a professional opinion based on sound judgment and specialist expertise. It is not a product warranty or guarantee of compliance….
They are used as one source of information which the council may rely upon to determine whether there are reasonable grounds to conclude that the work complies with the Building Code.”
The producer statements need to be completed at various stages through the project’s lifecycle and are signed off by a range of professionals. Here’s a brief outline of each producer statement:
PS 1
A PS1 covers the design stage of the project. Once Storepro has completed the design for your racking, one of our independent registered engineers will conduct a detailed evaluation to ensure it complies with NZ building codes. They’ll take into consideration a range of factors, like building conditions (including the concrete foundation to ensure it’s capable of holding the proposed loads), seismic and static load requirements, soil class, and site zoning.
The requirements for your racking are specified throughout a range of standards:
- The Building Act 2004 & Building Amendment Act 2005
- AS 4084- 2012
- AS / NZS 1170:2002 Structural Design Actions. Part 5: Earthquake actions
- BRANZ updated guide 2011 for High Level Storage Systems
PS 2
A PS2 takes place during the design stage too, but it’s apeer review of the PS1 by another registered engineer. You’ll only need a PS2 for some installations – your local council will advise you if you need it – but as a general guide, it’s required for anything over 4m high or that’s considered high risk.
PS 3
Following the installation of your racking, Storepro will complete a PS3. Its purpose is to ensure the racking has been installed as per the design and confirms the standards of the PS1 have been met.
PS 4
The final stage is a PS4, which is an onsite review of the installation by the same independent registered engineer who completed the PS1. They’ll check the racking installation and confirm the project has been completed in accordance with the PS1.
Other reports
You may also be required to support your application with:
- A fire report to determine sprinkler requirements, flue spaces, egress paths, and access to water for the fire department
- An emergency lighting report
- A slab report to ensure it can handle the loads specified on the PS1
- A building warrant of fitness
We also recommend that you purchase a property file which will include existing reports for your building.
Code of Compliance Certificate (CCC)
Within a maximum of 12 months of receiving your Building Consent, you’ll need to apply to the council to obtain your Code of Compliance Certificate. Make sure you provide all required documentation with your CCC application – including your producer statements and any additional documents the council has requested – to ensure it’s processed efficiently.
We make it easy
At Storepro, it’s our business to understand your business, AND all the ins and outs of compliance.
We’ve been designing, installing, auditing and repairing pallet racking since we started back in 2004. For many members of our team, their experience in the industry dates back well before this.
If you choose to work with Storepro, our in-house design and INDEPENDENT engineering teams make it easy for you to ensure standards are met, without compromising on your business goals.