Forklift Battery Storage Rack Options & Safety Tips

Rack ‘em Up – Forklift Battery Storage for Safe Handling

You’ve got the power, but how do you keep it charged? We’ve got the answer to help you safely and efficiently handle forklift battery storage. Lead-acid forklift batteries require special storage to enable changing, watering and charging access. Choosing customizable battery storage racking will help you comply with OSHA mandates, protect workers, and prevent equipment damage.

What’s So Unique About Forklift Batteries?

Hefty

Forklift batteries can weigh as much as 2,000 – 5,000 lbs. The danger of physical harm is real at those weights, so specialized equipment is required to handle the batteries, such as an overhead gantry crane system or forklift accessory.

Harmful

Lead acid batteries contain corrosive materials that are also highly flammable. Ventilation and fire suppression are a must –but equally important is anything that comes into contact with the battery, such as flooring, racking, rollers, and slides. Forklift battery cases are often steel, which will cause a spark if rubbed against concrete. Even lifting batteries from overhead using a gantry crane can cause sparking against a concrete floor.

Hulky

Using custom-configured racking for forklift battery storage is a cost-effective way to manage sparking concerns and allow unrestricted access via specially equipped forklifts or overhead gentry systems. Depending on the equipment, the rack must allow free access from above or the side.

Forklift Storage Rack Options

A proper forklift battery storage rack is safe and cost-effective for protecting your battery inventory and your forklift fleet investment.

Battery Storage Rack Design & Features

• Heavy-duty load capacity
• Single- or multi-level
• Modular design
• Acid-resistant materials
• Spark-resistant surfaces
• Seismic requirements for Zones 1-4
• Options
  • Charger shelf
  • Rollers with protective stops
  • Fire-suppression integration
  • Impact guarding
  • Cable storage
  • Drip pans

A variety of rack options allows us to customize your rack to your application. You can choose single- or multi-level rack with or without a charger shelf. Additionally, you can maximize vertical space by adding storage rack above the battery rack. Be sure to talk with your system designer and engineer about optimizing your space to meet all your needs. 

Storing batteries in raised racking removes the inherent danger of the battery scraping against a concrete floor and sparking a serious problem. The raised design also gives you an effective way to secure connection cables off the ground and away from damage. Still, fire suppression systems may be required or recommended, which can be built right into the racking to maximize effectiveness. 

You can integrate the rack with heavy-duty, friction-free rollers to facilitate easier slide-in/slide-out battery access. Per OSHA, drip pans are a must unless the flooring is acid-resistant. Still, the pans are an economical way to control electrolyte runoff, protect the flooring (epoxy or not), and prevent a safety hazard. 

Your forklift battery storage rack is powder coated to be acid-resistant, and specialty guarding will protect columns and beams from equipment strikes.

However large or small your battery storage inventory — it’s an essential element of your warehouse safety. The Warehouse Optimizers, Inc. team understands the significance, and we’re ready to ensure that the solution you need is the solution you get.

We are committed to achieving 100% Customer Satisfaction on every project. We call it our Total Satisfaction Experience™ (TSE), focusing on five essential customer experiences:

1. We will listen to your needs
2. Execute your project with particular attention to your unique application
3. Adhere to project timelines
4. Ensure a safe environment
5. Pay close attention to the detail of the finished product

We also complete installations using our professional in-house team.

WOI Professional Installation Team

• Experienced Warehouse Installation
• OSHA Trained & Certified
• Certified Drug-Free Workplace
• Licensed General Contractor
• Job Safety Analysis
• Forklift, Scissor Lift, and Aerial Lift Operator Trained

Call WOI today for a free consultation and schedule a site inspection —dial (833) 336-7005 or email info@warehouseoptimizers.com. 

WOI proudly serves customers throughout the Southeast, including KENTUCKY, TENNESSEE, NORTH CAROLINA, ALABAMA, AND FLORIDA.