Top 7 Pallet Racking Accessories That Pay for Themselves

Why “Nice-to-Have” Accessories Are Often Your Best Investment

When you’re signing off on a new pallet racking project, accessories are usually the first items to get cut from the quote. On paper they look optional. In a live warehouse, they’re often the difference between:

• Constant beam and upright damage vs predictable maintenance

• Slow, risky picking vs safe, efficient workflows

• “We think we’re compliant” vs clear alignment with AS 4084 and your duty of care

Better Storage Systems supplies a wide range of pallet racking, shelving, mezzanines and racking accessories across Australia, with full design, installation, safety audit and repair services to keep systems compliant and efficient over their full life.

Below are seven “nice-to-have” pallet racking accessories that typically pay for themselves – through reduced damage, fewer incidents, faster picking and better utilisation of your existing warehouse storage solutions.

1. Mesh Decks & Safety Mesh – Fewer Incidents, Cleaner Operations

Many warehouses still run bare beams or particle board for general pallet storage. Mesh decks and safety mesh add an extra layer of safety and flexibility by creating a continuous surface across beams and helping catch debris. Better Storage Systems lists mesh decks, safety mesh and particle board among its core pallet racking accessories.

How they pay for themselves:

• Help prevent product falls when pallets are slightly damaged, undersized or poorly wrapped.

• Support mixed loads (cartons, loose items, odd-size packaging) in the same bay without swapping to shelving.

• Improve fire safety and housekeeping by allowing light and sprinklers to pass through, and making it easier to spot spills or debris.

• Reduce damaged stock claims – one pallet saved can easily outweigh the cost of decked levels in busy zones.

Mesh decks are especially valuable above pedestrian walkways, packing benches and dock areas where falling product is a real risk.

2. Pallet Support & Deck Support Bars – Insurance for “Ugly” Pallets

In the real world, not every pallet is a perfect standard CHEP or Loscam. You’ll see:

• Narrow or non-standard pallets

• Plastic pallets

• Half-pallets or mixed dunnage

• Pallets stored cross-ways to suit the product

Deck support bars and pallet support bars span between beams to give extra bearing area under the pallet boards, reducing the risk of broken boards and point loads. Both are part of Better Storage Systems’ standard accessories range.

ROI drivers:

• Prevents beam damage from concentrated point loads.

• Reduces pallet collapse risk, which means fewer near misses, cleanup costs and stock write-offs.

• Gives you more flexibility with pallet types and orientations without redesigning the entire racking system.

For sites that regularly handle mixed pallet types or heavy, dense loads, support bars are a relatively small up-front cost that significantly increases safety margin.

3. Rack End, Corner & Upright Protectors – Cheaper Than One Major Hit

Forklifts and pallet jacks will eventually contact your racking. The question is whether that impact bends your upright – or gets absorbed by a sacrificial protector.

Better Storage Systems specifically plans dedicated product pages for rack end, corner and upright protectors as part of its racking accessories range, reflecting how important they are to long-term system performance.

Why protectors pay for themselves:

• Avoid expensive structural repairs – replacing a protector is far cheaper than re-framing a bay and re-certifying the system.

• Reduce downtime caused by isolating damaged aisles while engineers assess and repair.

• Support AS 4084 compliance by reducing the likelihood of “amber” or “red” damage findings in inspections.

Common high-ROI locations include:

• End frames at cross-aisles and intersections

• Frames adjacent to dock doors and staging lanes

• First bays beside tight internal columns or speed-restricted areas

In many cases a single avoided incident covers the cost of equipping your critical ends and corners with proper protection.

4. Safe Working Load Signs – Small Boards, Big Legal Protection

Safe Working Load (SWL) signs can feel like a paperwork item – right up until something goes wrong. Under AS 4084.2:2023, racking installations must have permanent, corrosion-resistant load signage showing unit load, beam (level) load and bay load limits, positioned in conspicuous locations around 2 m above floor level.

Better Storage Systems’ own guidance on pallet racking load signs explains the critical capacity numbers that must appear on the board and why guessing or handwritten changes are not acceptable.

Why SWL signs are a high-value “accessory”:

• Reduce the risk of overloading by giving operators clear limits per pallet, per level and per bay.

• Support your duty of care – inspectors and regulators expect compliant signage on every aisle.

• Make training easier – supervisors can point to one standard reference rather than relying on tribal knowledge.

In the event of an incident, having up-to-date, compliant SWL signage is one of the simplest ways to show you’ve taken reasonable steps to manage risk.

5. Safety Gates & Barriers – Protecting People at Height

Where you have raised storage areas or mezzanines, “up and over” pallet safety gates and barriers are critical for keeping operators safe at edges. Better Storage Systems lists up and over gates and other safety gate solutions among its standard accessories.

These gates allow pallets to be loaded by forklift while keeping a physical barrier in place at the edge whenever someone is working on the deck.

Commercial benefits:

• Reduces fall-from-height risk, which is one of the highest-consequence incident types in warehouses.

• Makes WHS approvals smoother, because edge protection is built into the storage system design rather than bolted on later.

• Supports efficient workflows – operators can receive pallets at height without needing ad-hoc chains, railings or spotters.

Compared to the financial and human cost of a fall-from-height incident, properly engineered safety gates and barriers are a very low-cost risk control.

6. Small Parts Storage Bins & Shelf Containers – Turn Dead Space into Revenue

Most warehouses have a mix of palletised product and small components, spares or consumables. Without the right small parts storage, these items end up in mismatched cartons, on the floor or scattered across benches.

Better Storage Systems offers dedicated small parts storage systems – including open-front bins, stackable bins and shelf containers – that integrate with racking and shelving.

How small parts accessories pay back:

• Increase pick speed – clearly labelled bins at ergonomic heights cut down search time and walking.

• Reduce stock loss and mis-picks – individual SKUs have defined homes instead of being mixed on pallets.

• Improve inventory accuracy for high-value or slow-moving items.

• Free up pallet locations by moving small components into bin shelving so selective pallet racking stays focused on full pallets and cartons.

For maintenance stores, e-commerce pick faces and kitting areas, small parts bins are one of the fastest routes to measurable productivity improvements.

7. Work Benches Built from Racking Components – Better Flow at the Coalface

Packing benches, QA benches and rework areas are often afterthoughts – a mix of old tables, mismatched shelving and makeshift surfaces. Better Storage Systems supplies industrial work benches built from racking components, designed to integrate with the rest of your pallet racking layout.

Because they’re based on racking frames and beams, benches can be built to match your bay widths, load requirements and ergonomics.

Why racking-based benches make financial sense:

• Improve picking and packing productivity by giving teams a dedicated, well-organised work zone with tool storage, carton storage and small parts within arm’s reach.

• Handle real warehouse loads – heavy cartons, tools and jigs – without wobble or premature failure.

• Reuse existing components when layouts change, reducing waste and capex.

Aligning your benches, pick fronts and pallet racking into one integrated system shortens travel paths and makes it far easier to standardise processes across shifts and sites.

How to Decide Which Accessories Your Warehouse Actually Needs

Not every warehouse needs every accessory – but almost every warehouse is under-invested in at least a few of them. A practical way to prioritise is to look at three lenses: risk, efficiency and growth.

1. Start with Risk Hotspots

Walk the warehouse with your safety or operations team and note locations where:

• There is frequent forklift traffic near racking ends or pedestrian walkways.

• Product has previously fallen or come close to falling from height.

• Operators are working at edges of raised storage areas.

• Load signs are missing, outdated or clearly don’t match the current configuration.

These areas are prime candidates for protectors, mesh decks, safety gates and updated SWL signage. This aligns with AS 4084.2:2023, which emphasises signage, inspections and damage control as part of safe operation and maintenance.

2. Quantify Damage and Downtime

Pull basic data for the last 12–24 months:

• Number of damaged uprights, beams and frames

• Cost of parts and repairs

• Time spent isolating, emptying and re-loading affected bays

• Stock write-offs due to impact or product falls

In many facilities, annual damage and downtime easily exceed the cost of fitting protectors and mesh decks to all critical locations.

3. Map Accessories to Future Growth

Finally, consider your growth plans:

• More SKUs and faster order cycles often justify investment in small parts storage, work benches and clearly laid-out pick faces.

• Higher pallet densities, new product lines or different pallet types may require support bars, updated SWL signs and occasional re-design to maintain AS 4084 compliance.

By approaching accessories as part of long-term warehouse design – not last-minute extras – you can select options that genuinely pay for themselves over the life of the system.

Bringing It All Together

The most effective pallet racking accessories are rarely the flashiest items in the quote. They’re the quiet workhorses that:

• Prevent a serious collision from becoming a structural repair

• Turn a messy pick face into a fast, accurate workstation

• Help you demonstrate compliance with Australian pallet racking standards and your WHS obligations

Better Storage Systems can design, supply and install pallet racking systems, mezzanines, shelving, small parts storage and racking accessories across Australia, as well as provide safety audits, inspections and repairs in line with AS 4084.

When you next review a racking quote, don’t treat accessories as optional decorations. Focus on the handful of “nice-to-haves” that will pay for themselves – and then some – in safety, uptime and productivity.