Made to measure shelving, designed in 3D

In Ireland, a shelving unit fitted in the garage, attic or utility room of a private home is not governed by workplace safety law: the Safety, Health and Welfare at Work Act 2005 and the General Application Regulations 2007 bind employers, not householders. What does apply is general product safety. Regulation (EU) 2023/988 (GPSR), applicable since 13 December 2024, requires that only safe products be placed on the market (art. 5) and that a distance-selling offer clearly shows the manufacturer's name, postal and electronic address and any safety warnings (art. 19); in Ireland it is enforced by the Competition and Consumer Protection Commission under S.I. No. 726/2024, which also requires that this information, and the safety information supplied with the product, be in English (Reg. 5).. The Consumer Rights Act 2022 adds that goods must come with the installation instructions a consumer may reasonably expect (s. 18) and that an incorrect installation due to shortcomings in those instructions is a lack of conformity (s. 19). Our advice: anchor the unit to the wall against tipping and never exceed the stated maximum load per shelf.

In Ireland, shelving in a workshop, shop or stockroom with employees is work equipment: the Safety, Health and Welfare at Work (General Application) Regulations 2007 (S.I. No. 299/2007) define that as any installation for use at work (Reg. 2) and set the employer’s duties in Part 2, Chapter 2, giving effect to the EU Work Equipment Directive, now codified as Directive 2009/104/EC: installed and located correctly and suitable for the work (Reg. 28); stabilised by clamping or some other means where necessary for safety (Reg. 33), for a tall unit fixed to the wall; kept safe by adequate maintenance throughout its working life (Reg. 31); and erected or dismantled following the manufacturer’s instructions (Reg. 28(o)). Because a bolted unit’s safety depends on how it is installed, Reg. 30 requires an initial inspection after installation and after re-assembly at any new location, plus periodic inspections by a competent person where it is exposed to conditions causing deterioration, with results kept for 5 years. The Health and Safety Authority’s Work at Height / Falling Objects information sheet asks for the maximum safe load prominently marked on all racks, no overloading, and racking checked regularly for damage and not used until repaired or replaced. EN 15635, the European standard on use and maintenance, is a reference, not a legal obligation.

In Ireland, pallet racking in a forklift-served warehouse is work equipment under Part 2, Chapter 2 of the General Application Regulations 2007 (S.I. No. 299/2007), implementing the EU Work Equipment Directive (now Directive 2009/104/EC). installed and located correctly (Reg. 28); stabilised by clamping or some other means where necessary for safety (Reg. 33), in practice erected as per the manufacturer’s instructions with the uprights anchored to the floor; maintained throughout its working life (Reg. 31); and inspected by a competent person after installation and re-assembly, then periodically and by special inspection after an accident, a modification or any other exceptional event, with records kept for 5 years (Reg. 30). Traffic routes must be dimensioned for the number of users and the type of undertaking, pedestrians given sufficient safety clearance where trucks share them, and areas where objects could fall clearly indicated and access controlled (Reg. 14). Health and Safety Authority guidance asks for the maximum safe load prominently marked on all racks, racking checked regularly for damage and uprights protected from impact; its Code of Practice on the Safe Use of Industrial Trucks adds that features of the operating area such as racking should be clearly marked and protected against accidental damage. EN 15635, the European standard on the use and maintenance of storage equipment, is a technical reference for organising those checks, not a legal obligation.

In Ireland, a mezzanine floor is building work: a material alteration under the Building Control Act 1990 and the Building Regulations 1997 (art. 11 and Parts A, B and K of the Second Schedule). Under the Building Control Regulations 1997 a Commencement Notice goes to the building control authority 14 to 28 days before work starts (art. 8); a mezzanine adding floor area inside an existing shop, office, industrial or storage building needs a Fire Safety Certificate (art. 11(1)(c)), and with it the Assigned Certifier regime and a Certificate of Compliance on Completion before use (arts. 9 and 20F). Internal works are usually exempted development (Planning and Development Act 2000, s. 4(1)(h)).

A competent designer calculates the structure to the Eurocodes (I.S. EN 1990, 1991 and 1993) with their Irish National Annexes; permanently incorporated structural steel components are construction products under the EU Construction Products Regulation (EU) 2024/3110, with a declaration and CE marking (art. 17); the execution standard for steel structures is EN 1090.

In use it is a workplace under the General Application Regulations 2007: adequate solidity (Reg. 5), clear emergency routes (Reg. 12), a written risk assessment (2005 Act, s. 19) and, at any open edge, suitable and sufficient edge protection (Regs. 99 and 103). Technical Guidance Document B, the official guidance to Part B, expects fire-resisting structure for a raised storage area in an industrial or storage building unless it is one tier with few people and no public, a stair within 3 m of an exit, fire detection and no side over 20 m.

Recommendation: get signed calculations before ordering, confirm notice and certificate with the building control authority, fix a load notice per level, guard every edge and never exceed the design load.