Automating palletising at the end of the line

At the end of many production lines, someone stacks cartons or sacks onto pallets for most of the shift. Plenty of businesses look at handing that task to a robot palletiser.

These notes help a works or warehouse manager plan one well. They follow guidance from the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), Britain's regulator for workplace health and safety.

Taking the heavy lifting off people

HSE estimates that 511,000 workers in Great Britain had a work-related musculoskeletal disorder in 2024/25. These conditions led to about 7.1 million lost working days. Manual handling is one of the main causes that workers report.

The law asks employers to avoid hazardous manual handling so far as is reasonably practicable. HSE names automating or mechanising the process as one way to do that. It advises making that choice when you design the plant or the way work flows.

Start with what you are stacking

HSE guidance on pallets lists what to know about your loads when choosing the pallets they travel on. That means what the goods are, how much they weigh and how the weight sits on the pallet. It also means knowing whether there is a recommended way to place them.

Check the pallet sizes too. A UK pallet measures 1200mm by 1000mm, and a Europallet 800mm by 1200mm. HSE warns that mixing the two in racking systems can cause handling problems.

Building a stable load

HSE advises loading pallets to an established pattern, designed for the greatest stability within the pallet's rated load. Loads should go on gradually and, as far as possible, be spread evenly across the deck.

As a general guide, the load should be no taller than the longest side of the pallet's base. Shrink-wrapping or stretch-wrapping holds the goods more securely. With wrapping, taller loads can travel safely. Plastic pallets have slippery surfaces, so they may need extra measures to keep the goods in place.

Good pallets in, good loads out

A palletiser builds on whatever pallet it is given. HSE advises checking pallets for damage on delivery, and inspecting every pallet each time it is used. Damaged pallets should be marked, set aside and withdrawn for repair or disposal.

Many pallets belong to pallet pools and carry the owner's mark. HSE says damaged pool pallets should go back to the pallet owner first. One-trip pallets should be clearly marked as disposable.

Keeping people safe around the cell

The Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998 (PUWER) apply to a palletiser like any other work equipment. HSE says people must be kept away from dangerous moving parts, normally with fixed guards. Where people need routine access, interlocked guards can stop the parts moving before anyone reaches them. Everyone who uses or supervises the equipment needs adequate training.

In June 2026 HSE began work with Automate UK and the Manufacturing Technology Centre on guidance for collaborative robots that work alongside people.

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