Ensuring the safety of workers in warehouses and distribution centers (DCs) is crucial. With products stored overhead in industrial racking systems, however, there is a risk that items could fall. A falling item could result in injury to a person at ground level, or it could strike equipment — causing damage to the machinery and the product itself. Fortunately, there are solutions to mitigate this risk, such as safety netting. Also known as protective guard netting, rack netting, and overhead netting, safety netting benefits warehousing and distribution operations in at least nine different ways.

Defining Safety Netting

First, a brief explanation of safety netting. Safety netting can be made from a variety of materials. These include nylon, polyester, polypropylene, and polyethylene, explained Russ Schirmer. Schirmer is Director of Sales at Carron Net Company, a member of the Protective Guarding Manufacturers Association (ProGMA).

“There are both woven and extruded netting types available,” he said. “In warehousing and DCs looking for product containment, both types of safety netting work. The netting attaches to the columns and beams on the back and sides of one or more spans of rack bays.”

When properly installed, netting protects both workers and products by retaining products, totes, cases, boxes, or pallets that fall off the sides or back of rack.

“The net prevents products from falling to the ground,” said Randy Johnson, Vice President of Industrial Netting, also a ProGMA member. “Also, when installed between back-to-back racking, the netting prevents product migration from one rack to another. It also keeps items from falling into the flue space.”

Likewise, safety netting can cover openings in guardrails on mezzanines, elevated work platforms, pick modules, and stairs, added Brian Stevenson, Vice President of Material Handling at ProGMA member InCord.

“Other application areas for safety netting in warehouses and DCs include beneath or on the sides of any conveyor to capture and contain falling product,” noted Stevenson. “Installation typically calls for the netting to be pulled taut and attached every 12 inches with a connector provided by the supplier. These include industrial zip ties, snap-hooks, carabiners, or a cable system.”

Stevenson, Schirmer, and Johnson agreed that safety netting offers numerous benefits beyond product containment. Their list includes the following nine points.

Benefit #1: Lower Material Cost

Safety netting is a cost-effective alternative to traditional materials used for containment and protection, such as steel. Its construction from lightweight, durable materials reduces costs without compromising on safety or quality.

Benefit #2: High Strength to Low Weight Ratio

Despite its lightweight nature, netting boasts an impressive strength-to-weight ratio. This attribute allows it to effectively withstand heavy loads and impacts while minimizing the overall weight of the structure, said Industrial Netting’s Johnson.

“Depending on its tensile strength, safety netting can hold loads ranging from 250 pounds per square foot to 5,000 pounds per square foot,” he explained. “Further, depending on the material, its construction, and installation, safety netting can retain falling loads weighing up to 7,000 pounds.”

Benefit #3: Pliable Nature Resists Deformation from Impacts

Safety netting exhibits excellent pliability and resilience. This allows it to adapt to various shapes and configurations without losing its structural integrity. Additionally, it resists deformation from minor impacts, ensuring long-term durability and reliability in demanding environments.

Benefit #4: Resistant to Damage During Shipment

Unlike rigid, manufactured containment systems, safety netting is soft, flexible, and malleable. That makes it highly unlikely that this type of containment system will sustain damage during shipment from manufacturer to point of installation.

Benefit #5: Lower Shipping Costs

Thanks to its lightweight construction, netting contributes to lower shipping costs compared to heavier alternatives. Reduced weight translates to lower freight charges and allows for more economical transportation, leading to overall cost savings.

Benefit #6: Will Not Rot, Rust, or Corrode

Safety netting won’t rust or corrode, said Carron Net’s Schirmer. That characteristic ensures longevity and minimizes maintenance requirements, further enhancing cost-effectiveness over the netting’s lifespan.

“Different types of netting work in various environments. In addition to ambient conditions, other safety netting installations include refrigerated coolers, freezers, clean rooms, and washdown areas,” he said. “Depending on the material, the nets are water and chemical resistant, enabling their use both indoors and outside.”

Benefit #7: Easy to Install Due to Its Light Weight

The lightweight nature of safety netting simplifies the installation process, requiring fewer resources and manpower. Its ease of handling allows for fast, hassle-free installation, minimizing downtime and labor costs associated with setup and maintenance.

It can also be installed with posts and beams to extend above the top-most level of an industrial steel storage rack structure. This allows an operation to utilize the highest storage positions without fear of objects falling, maximizing overhead storage capacity.

Benefit #8: Easily Sized to Virtually Any Dimension

Safety netting offers unparalleled flexibility in sizing, noted InCord’s Stevenson. “That allows net manufacturers the ability to produce custom lengths, widths, and heights that fit virtually any dimension or configuration,” he said.

Because woven nets incorporate a bound edge for both strength and as a means of attachment, manufacturers typically supply it in specific dimensions for a given installation. Manufacturers of extruded netting often supply it pre-cut to match the application’s dimensions. Alternately, they may supply a continuous roll of extruded net that is cut to size during installation, Stevenson added.

Benefit #9: Different Opening Sizes Support Different Inventory Storage Objectives

Depending on the intended application, manufacturers of woven and extruded safety nets offer a range of opening sizes. Nets with smaller openings are more difficult to see through. This visual obstruction creates a higher degree of product security. Conversely, netting with larger openings is easier to see through, facilitating cycle counting and other inventory verification processes.

Learn More About Safety Netting

Looking for more information about ways safety netting can enhance safety in your warehouse or DC operations? Visit the categories dedicated to this guarding solution in the Protective Guarding Search Tool, published by the members of the Protective Guarding Manufacturers Association (ProGMA): Overhead Mesh Guarding, Safety Netting, and Conveyor Guarding.