BOZP for warehouses and logistics — VZV, racking and manual handling of loads

This is the area where labour inspectorates find the most deficiencies. Operating a VZV in a warehouse is governed by a precise set of obligations — from the issue of the licence through refresher professional training to daily and periodic checks.

The safety of warehouse racking is governed by the standard STN EN 15635 (Static steel storage systems — use and maintenance). This is supplemented by STN EN 15620 (tolerances and deformations), STN EN 15512 (design principles) and STN EN 15629 (specification). Racking is regarded as a work tool and is therefore subject to Government Regulation No. 392/2006 Coll. and Act No. 124/2006 Coll. as well.

• Routine visual inspection — an authorised internal employee, recommended approximately once a week; rapid detection of visible damage and deformation.
• Professional inspection (racking inspection) — a professionally competent person, at least once every 12 months; assesses the verticality of uprights, deformations, condition of safety pins, anchoring and legibility of load-capacity labels.
• Extraordinary inspection — after a truck collision, after racking has been relocated, or after another extraordinary event.

Important rule: damaged components must not be repaired by welding or straightening — they must be replaced with original parts. Inspections are recorded (racking operating log).

The precise limits are set by Annex No. 2 to Government Regulation No. 281/2006 Coll. The maximum load weight is a value that must not be exceeded under any circumstances; the limits decrease with age.

The employer is required as a priority to eliminate manual handling by organisational measures and mechanical means — pallet trucks and hand trucks, lifting tables, conveyors and vacuum manipulators. Training in correct lifting technique, rotation of postures and provision of health surveillance are important.

Reserved technical equipment (VTZ) in the warehouse — lifting equipment, electrical wiring and charging stations — is subject to professional inspections and tests under Decree No. 508/2009 Coll., within the scope and intervals set out in Annexes Nos. 5 to 10. For electrical equipment in a masonry operational building the interval is 5 years, but in a space with a fire hazard (external influence BE2) it is reduced to 2 years. Inspections are arranged by an inspection technician holding a valid certificate.

Safety and health marking is governed by Government Regulation No. 387/2006 Coll. — prohibition, warning, mandatory and information signs, safety colours and light or acoustic signals. Requirements for routes are set by Government Regulation No. 391/2006 Coll.: the key requirement is to separate pedestrian and forklift traffic, mark walkways and use mirrors at bends.

Fire protection (OPP) is governed by Act No. 314/2001 Coll. Portable fire extinguishers are checked at least once every 24 months under § 9 ods. 4 of Decree No. 347/2022 Coll. (unless the manufacturer specifies a shorter interval); they must be accessible and their location marked with a pictogram. The warehouse must have OPP documentation, a fire evacuation plan and permanently clear escape routes. Flammable substances are stored separately from ignition sources.

The occupational health service (PZS) is mandatory from the first employee under § 30 of Act No. 355/2007 Coll. — including warehouse staff, forklift drivers and workers on employment agreements. In the warehouse, correct categorisation of work is key: dominant manual handling of loads, constrained postures and repeated lifting lead to overloading of the spine and joints. These factors are generally reflected in work category 1 or 2.

• Categorisation of work under § 31 of Act No. 355/2007 Coll. and Decree No. 448/2007 Coll. — assessment of the load (handling, noise from trucks, draughts, cold in freezer stores).
• Simplified model for categories 1 and 2 — some activities may also be carried out by a safety technician or a public health officer, without the more costly team with a specialist physician.
• Preventive medical examinations in relation to work under § 30e; for forklift truck drivers, medical fitness is a condition for the validity of the licence.
• Ergonomics — when classifying into a category, spine-injury prevention is also assessed (mechanisation, rotation of activities, training in lifting technique).

• VZV operator training (group 06.1) under Decree No. 356/2007 Coll. — theoretical and practical section, extension courses and refresher professional training.
• Initial and repeated BOZP familiarisation under § 7 ods. 5 of Act No. 124/2006 Coll. — at least once every three years, more frequently for high-risk activities.
• Fire protection (OPP) training under Act No. 314/2001 Coll. — training of employees and professional training of fire-watch teams.

Alpha Safety will cover all these areas under one roof, including maintaining records of licence validity, so you do not miss a deadline for AOP, the medical examination or periodic familiarisation.

Alpha Safety provides comprehensive BOZP and OPP (fire protection) services for warehouses and logistics centres so that you have all your obligations fulfilled and documented in one place.

• Comprehensive BOZP warehouse audit — risk assessment (trucks, racking, handling, floors, marking), review of documentation and licence validity, report with corrective measures and priorities.
• VZV training (group 06.1) — basic and extension courses, repeated familiarisation and AOP including the practical section directly at your site.
• VTZ inspections — professional inspections and tests of lifting and electrical equipment including chargers for electric VZV and deadline monitoring.
• BOZP and OPP documentation — risk assessment, operating regulations, directives, fire evacuation plan and records of racking checks.

Distribution centre audit. During the entry audit we identified damaged uprights on pallet racking following truck collisions with no record kept, missing load-capacity labels, unmarked separation of pedestrian and forklift traffic, and three trucks with drivers whose AOP deadline had elapsed. After the remediation — replacement of damaged components, introduction of visual and professional racking checks, marking of traffic routes and retraining of operators — the site met the requirements and reduced the risk of racking collapse and collision.

VZV and AOP training. For a logistics company we arranged comprehensive retraining of operators directly at their site, resolved invalid and missing licences, aligned AOP and medical examination deadlines, and set up a records system that automatically alerts the employer to approaching deadlines.