What does a Red RAG rating actually mean?

A Red rating means the component has exceeded the AS 4084 damage tolerance for its type and is no longer considered safe to bear load. The bay must be unloaded immediately and the component repaired or replaced before reuse.

How quickly does Amber damage need to be fixed?

AS 4084 does not name a strict deadline, but industry best practice in Australia is to schedule Amber repairs within 28 days and to document a temporary load reduction if the timeline slips.

Can I keep using racking with Green damage?

Yes. Green findings are within tolerance and safe to remain in service. They are logged so that the next inspection can detect any progression toward Amber or Red.

Who decides the RAG rating?

The competent person performing the inspection, using physical measurements taken with a straight edge, plumb line or laser, compared against the manufacturer's published tolerances or the AS 4084 defaults.

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QBCC Licensed • 20+ Years Experience

RAG Damage Classification: Red, Amber & Green Explained

How professional inspectors classify pallet racking damage under AS 4084:2023, with the exact tolerances and what each rating means for your warehouse.

TL;DR

RAG stands for Red, Amber, Green — the colour-coded severity system used in AS 4084 inspection reports.
Red means stop-work and unload the bay; Amber means schedule repair within 4 weeks; Green is monitor only.
Mm tolerances differ for uprights, beams, baseplates and bracing.
Every Red rating triggers a documented 60-minute response procedure.

Key Takeaways

Red ratings require immediate unloading and isolation — no exceptions.
Amber components stay loaded but must be repaired within a documented timeframe (typically 28 days).
Green ratings are logged and re-checked at the next inspection cycle.
Your inspection report must include component-level RAG ratings, not just a site-wide grade.
Insurers commonly require evidence that all Red findings have been actioned within 24 hours.

Reviewed by Matt Gade — QBCC-licensed installer & lead inspector

Origin

Where the RAG system comes from

The Red-Amber-Green system originated with the European racking standard FEM 10.2.04 and was adopted into Australian inspection practice in the early 2010s. AS 4084:2023 now formally references colour-coded severity ratings as the documentation standard for inspection reports across QLD and NSW.

Every reputable inspector — whether engineer, installer or specialist — uses RAG. If your last inspection report only listed "pass" or "fail" without colour ratings or millimetre measurements, it does not meet the AS 4084 documentation requirement.

Tolerances

The mm thresholds for each colour

Tolerances vary by component and by manufacturer, but the table below reflects the conservative defaults used when manufacturer-specific data is unavailable. Always defer to the original equipment manufacturer (OEM) figures if they are tighter.

Component	Green	Amber	Red
Upright (front-to-back lean)	≤3 mm per metre	3–5 mm per metre	>5 mm per metre
Upright (side-to-side bow)	≤3 mm over 1m	3–5 mm over 1m	>5 mm over 1m
Beam deflection (loaded)	≤L/200	L/200 – L/180	>L/180 or permanent set
Baseplate gap to slab	0 mm	1–3 mm	>3 mm or anchor visible
Bracing	Straight	Bent ≤5 mm	Bent >5 mm, missing or fractured

Response

What to do after each colour rating

Red — unload the bay immediately, barricade the aisle, isolate the row and book a repair.
Red — notify the PCBU and log in the incident register within 60 minutes.
Amber — keep loaded but plan repair within 28 days; reduce load if repair slips.
Amber — flag the component in the maintenance schedule with a follow-up date.
Green — record the measurement so the next inspection can detect progression.
All ratings — photograph the component with a measurement reference in the frame.

Red rating — the 60-minute rule

Every Red finding must trigger an unload-and-isolate response within 60 minutes, with a written incident log entry. This is the single most common gap insurers find when investigating racking incidents in Australian warehouses.

Documentation

What a compliant RAG report includes

A defensible AS 4084:2023 report includes a site overview, a bay-by-bay damage register, photographs of every Amber and Red component, the inspector's competent-person credentials and a sign-off page. Anything less is hard to defend if a claim or regulator request lands on your desk.

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