Damage Classification
Every defect on a SEMA inspection report is classified Red, Amber or Green. Each grade carries a specific obligation for action. Here’s exactly what each colour means, the criteria behind the grading, and what you must do when one shows up on your report.
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The traffic light system is a damage classification scale published in the SEMA Codes of Practice and aligned with BS EN 15635. It exists for one practical reason: to tell you, as the warehouse operator, exactly how urgently you need to act on each defect found during an inspection.
Every defect logged on a SEMA inspection report is given one of three classifications:
The classification is made by the inspector at the point of the inspection, against published criteria. It is not a matter of opinion. Two competent SARIs inspecting the same damage should reach the same classification.
What Red Means
Damage at this level means the location is no longer safe to carry load. Pallets must be removed from the affected bay before you leave the area, and the bay must not be reloaded until the issue is repaired and signed off.
Red findings are the smallest category by volume on a typical report, but the most consequential. A SARI inspector will tell you about every Red on site, before they leave, even before the formal report is written.
Examples of typical Red findings include:
Where Red damage is identified, the SEMA Codes of Practice require that the location is unloaded and physically isolated (typically with a barrier and signage) until repair is complete. Repair work itself must be carried out only with the manufacturer’s approved method, by competent personnel, using like-for-like components from the original manufacturer.
What Amber Means
Damage at this level is significant but does not (yet) compromise the immediate safety of the load. The bay can stay in use, but you must repair the damage within four weeks. If you don’t, the finding automatically escalates to Red.
Amber is the classification that catches operators out most often. The four-week clock starts from the date of the inspection. If the next inspection finds the damage still present, the default position is to escalate it to Red and require offload. Active monitoring is not a substitute for repair.
Examples of typical Amber findings include:
Practical Tip
Amber findings are where most warehouses lose compliance. The bay still works, the urgency feels lower, and the repair gets put off. Don’t. Set up a clear remedial process so every Amber goes onto the maintenance schedule the same week the report arrives. Four weeks goes faster than you think.
What Green Means
Damage at this level is within tolerance and does not currently affect the structural integrity of the racking. It needs to be logged, photographed, and monitored at the next internal weekly inspection. No repair action is required unless the damage worsens.
Green is the most common category on a typical report. A warehouse that’s been running for a few years will accumulate Green findings simply through normal use. The point of classifying them is not to demand action now, but to give the PRRS a baseline to monitor against during weekly checks.
Examples of typical Green findings include:
If a Green finding worsens between inspections (and the PRRS should be checking) it should be reclassified upward and acted on. A Green that’s still Green at the next annual inspection requires no action. A Green that has progressed to Amber needs a four-week repair plan.
Classification is not a guess. The inspector measures the damage against published tolerances, typically using:
The classification is then made against the SEMA Code of Practice criteria for that defect type. Where damage falls between two categories, the inspector will typically apply the more cautious classification and explain the reasoning in the report.
What This Means For You
Because the classification is rules-based and documented, the report is defensible to insurers, auditors and HSE inspectors. Subjective grading would not provide that defensibility. If your current inspector cannot tell you the criterion against which they made a particular classification, that’s a flag worth taking seriously.
Amber means repair within four weeks, not ‘monitor and review’. The four-week window exists because the damage is expected to worsen and become Red if left untreated. Treating Amber as informational rather than actionable is the most common compliance gap we find on follow-up inspections.
Green findings are part of the formal report and should be logged in your damage register. They establish the baseline that your weekly internal checks compare against. Without the Green log, your PRRS has no reference point for whether damage is new or pre-existing.
No. A Red bay must be fully offloaded and physically isolated until repaired. There is no ‘reduced load’ exception. Continuing to use a Red bay, even partially loaded, is a clear breach of PUWER and would be heavily weighted in any incident investigation.
Surface corrosion that has reduced section thickness is structural damage. Paint covers it but does not repair it. If a finding relates to corrosion that has compromised the metal, repair means component replacement, not surface treatment. Surface treatment is appropriate only for Green-level cosmetic corrosion.
The report is only useful if it is acted on. A clear process for handling each grade keeps your warehouse compliant and your audit trail intact:
With a straightedge or steel rule for deflection, a plumb line or laser for verticality, and the manufacturer’s specification where available. The measurements are then compared to the criteria in the SEMA Codes of Practice. Photographs of each measurement are included in the report.
Talk to your inspector. The classification should be backed up by a measurement and a criterion, both of which they will share with you. Genuine disagreements are very rare because the system is rules-based, but if the situation is borderline the inspector may explain the reasoning behind their judgement call.
Almost never. The traffic light system is designed to ratchet upward as damage worsens, not downward. The only realistic scenario for a downgrade is where the damaged component has been fully replaced, in which case the finding is closed rather than downgraded.
Yes. Column protectors, end-of-aisle barriers, mesh decks and other accessories are all assessed against the same Red, Amber, Green criteria. A missing or destroyed column protector in a high-traffic location may itself be an Amber finding even if the upright behind it is undamaged so far.
For a simple component swap (a beam or a bracing member) usually one or two days, plus lead time on parts. For an upright or a base plate, sometimes longer because the surrounding bays may need to be partially offloaded for the repair. Plan early; the four-week window includes lead times.
Not in themselves. What insurers look at is the trend: a warehouse that consistently reports Amber findings and consistently repairs them inside four weeks looks well-managed. A warehouse that lets Amber findings escalate to Red year after year looks high-risk. Repair history matters more than finding history.
Book a SEMA Approved inspection of your adjustable pallet racking, with traffic-light graded findings and clear remedial recommendations.
How PUWER, HSG76 and BS EN 15635 combine to require regular inspections, and what ‘technically competent’ actually means.
Weekly internal checks, annual expert inspections, post-incident triggers and the situations that warrant more frequent visits.
