SEIRS registered installers. What each credential means on your site.
Accreditations are worth reading, not counting. Each one below answers a different question your insurer, your auditor or your procurement team will ask: who built it, are they competent and insured, and what standard was it built and inspected to.
SEIRS registered installers · SafeContractor approved · SEMA associate member
SEIRS: the people who build the racking.
SEIRS is the Storage Equipment Installers Registration Scheme, run by SEMA. It registers individual installers who have been trained to install storage equipment to the SEMA code of practice, and each one carries a photo card showing their grade.
That matters because a racking design is a set of assumptions. The structural calculation under BS EN 15512 assumes the frames are plumb, the beams are fully engaged with safety locks fitted, the base plates are fixed and shimmed correctly, and the finished structure sits inside the tolerances set by EN 15620. None of those things are visible on a quotation. All of them are decided by the people on site.
Our installation teams hold current SEIRS registration. On your site that means the person building the run knows what an out of plumb frame does to its capacity, why a missing beam lock is not a cosmetic defect, and when to stop and ask rather than improvise.
- Who it covers
- Individual installers and supervisors, not products or companies alone.
- What it proves
- Recognised training in installing storage equipment to the SEMA code of practice.
- How it shows
- A photo card carried on site, stating the holder's grade and expiry.
- What it does not cover
- The racking design, the components, or the annual inspection. Those have their own standards.
What to check on an installer's card.
Two minutes at the gatehouse. If a contractor says their team is SEIRS registered, this is how you confirm it on the day rather than taking the tender document on trust.
The photograph
The expiry date
The grade
Every installer
If anything does not add up, registration can be checked with SEMA directly. We would rather you checked ours than assumed.
SafeContractor: competence checked by someone else.
SafeContractor is an independent health and safety accreditation. Our policies, risk assessments, method statements and insurances are assessed against its criteria, and the approval is audited every year rather than granted once.
For you it shortens pre-qualification. Most procurement and health and safety teams ask for SafeContractor, or an equivalent, before admitting a contractor to a live site. It is usually the first document requested and the one that holds up an order when it is missing.
It sits alongside the job-specific paperwork, not in place of it. Risk assessments and method statements are still written for your building and issued before attendance, and construction phase duty holder roles under CDM 2015 are agreed in writing before anyone is admitted.
- Health and safety policy and arrangements assessed
- Risk assessment and method statement practice reviewed
- Insurances checked
- Re-audited annually, so the approval is current or it is nothing
SEMA codes of practice, and what associate membership is.
SEMA, the Storage Equipment Manufacturers' Association, publishes the codes of practice the UK racking industry works to: design, installation, use and maintenance, and the inspection of storage equipment.
Pallet Racking Services Wales is a SEMA associate member and works to SEMA codes of practice on every job. Associate membership is not the same category as SEMA full membership held by manufacturers and distributors, and it is not a product approval. We say that plainly because the logos look similar, and you are entitled to ask any contractor which category they hold.
What you should see in practice: installations built to the SEMA installation code by SEIRS registered teams, load notices on every run, and inspection reports written to the SEMA format with findings graded red, amber and green.
The standards behind the work.
You do not need to read these. You do need a contractor who can tell you which one applies to the question you are asking.
| Reference | What it covers | What it means for you |
|---|---|---|
| BS EN 15512 | Structural design of adjustable static pallet racking | Load ratings come from calculation, not from experience or a catalogue guess. |
| EN 15620 | Tolerances, deformations and clearances | How plumb and straight the installed racking must be, and the clearances around each pallet. |
| EN 15629 | Specification of storage equipment | What you, as the user, should tell the supplier: loads, trucks, building and floor. |
| EN 15635 | Use and maintenance of storage equipment | Your duties as operator, including damage assessment and regular inspection. |
| EN 15878 | Terms and definitions | A shared vocabulary, so a report and a quotation mean the same thing by the same word. |
| BS EN 15095 | Power-operated mobile racking, carousels and stackers | Safety requirements for powered mobile racking, including guarding and controls. |
| PUWER 1998 | Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations | Racking is work equipment: it must be suitable, maintained and inspected. |
| HSG76 | HSE guidance on warehousing and storage | Appoint a Person Responsible for Racking Safety, record regular visual checks and get an expert inspection at least every 12 months. |
| CDM 2015 | Construction (Design and Management) Regulations | Client, principal designer and principal contractor roles agreed before work starts. |
| Approved Documents A, B, K, M | Building Regulations: structure, fire, protection from falling, access | Apply to mezzanine floors. Wales has its own editions; approval comes from local authority building control or an approved inspector. |
Standards, regulations and guidance we work to, with what each one means for you.
- BS EN 15512
- Structural design of adjustable static pallet racking
- EN 15620
- Tolerances, deformations and clearances
- EN 15629
- Specification of storage equipment
- EN 15635
- Use and maintenance of storage equipment
- EN 15878
- Terms and definitions
- BS EN 15095
- Power-operated mobile racking, carousels and stackers
- PUWER 1998
- Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations
- HSG76
- HSE guidance on warehousing and storage
- CDM 2015
- Construction (Design and Management) Regulations
- Approved Documents A, B, K, M
- Building Regulations: structure, fire, protection from falling, access
The mezzanine side is covered in detail on mezzanine flooring, and the inspection duties on racking inspections.
Inspections by SEMA Approved Rack Inspectors.
The annual expert inspection is a separate discipline from installation. Our inspections are carried out by SEMA Approved Rack Inspectors, known as SARIs, that we work with.
A SARI has been assessed by SEMA as competent to inspect racking and to grade damage against the SEMA method. The report you receive grades each finding red, amber or green, with the action and timescale attached, and any repair is quoted from the same visit. Between expert inspections, HSG76 expects your own Person Responsible for Racking Safety to carry out and record regular visual checks.
- Red
- Serious damage. The bay is offloaded and isolated immediately, until repaired.
- Amber
- Damage needing action within a set period. Not reloaded once emptied until repaired.
- Green
- Within tolerance. Recorded and monitored at the next inspection.
- Your part
- Recorded visual checks between inspections, often weekly, by your appointed person.
What to ask any racking contractor.
Use this whether you choose us or not. A contractor who cannot answer these quickly has told you something.
- Question 1
Are your installers SEIRS registered, and will they show their cards on site?
Every installer, not just the lead, and the supervisor at supervisor grade.
- Question 2
Who designed the layout, and what are the load ratings calculated from?
The answer should reference the manufacturer's data and BS EN 15512, not experience.
- Question 3
Will load notices be fixed to every run at handover?
Without them, nobody on site knows what the bays are rated for.
- Question 4
Are you SafeContractor approved, or equivalent, and is it current?
Approval is audited annually. Ask for the current certificate.
- Question 5
Which SEMA membership category do you hold?
Associate and full membership are different. Neither is a product approval.
- Question 6
Who carries out the annual inspection, and are they a SARI?
Inspection is a separate competence from installation.
- Question 7
Will you mix components from different manufacturers?
The right answer is no. Components are not interchangeable between makers.
- Question 8
Who holds the CDM 2015 roles, and when do we receive the RAMS?
Before attendance, in writing, specific to your building.
SEIRS and accreditation questions.
The Storage Equipment Installers Registration Scheme. It is run by SEMA, the Storage Equipment Manufacturers' Association, and registers individual installers who have completed recognised training in installing storage equipment to the SEMA code of practice. Registered installers carry a photo card.
Racking is only as strong as the way it was built. A design assumes frames are plumb, beams are fully engaged with their safety locks fitted, base plates are fixed and tolerances are within the standard. SEIRS registration is evidence that the people doing that work were trained to do it to the code, rather than learning on your building.
Ask to see it on arrival. Check that the photograph matches the person, that the card is in date, and that the grade on the card suits the role, for example that whoever is supervising the team holds a supervisor level card. If in doubt, registration can be checked with SEMA directly.
No. SEIRS covers the people who install storage equipment. Rack inspection is a separate discipline: the annual expert inspection is carried out by a SEMA Approved Rack Inspector, known as a SARI. Our inspections are carried out by SARI qualified inspectors we work with, and the report is written to the SEMA format.
No. SEIRS is about installer competence. The racking design is checked against BS EN 15512 and the manufacturer's data, and the finished installation against the tolerances in EN 15620. A good installation needs all three: a sound design, compliant components and trained installers.
That our health and safety policies, risk assessments, method statements and insurances have been independently assessed and are audited annually. Most procurement and health and safety teams ask for it, or an equivalent, before a contractor is admitted to a live site.
We are a SEMA associate member and work to SEMA codes of practice. Associate membership is not the same category as SEMA full membership held by manufacturers and distributors, and we do not present it as one. Ask any contractor which category they hold.
Yes. Reconfiguring, relocating, extending and repairing racking are installation work, and the same competence applies. A beam level moved by untrained staff can change the load rating of the whole bay, which is why adjustments are best made by trained installers against the load notice.
See the cards before the racking goes up.
Book a free site survey and the team who measures your building will tell you who installs it, which standards apply, and when the first inspection falls due.