Mezzanine Safety Tips You Should Know

Mezzanine Safety Tips You Should Know

Mezzanines are an effective way to maximise space across a wide range of industries, including offices, retail properties, and factories. However, business-owners with mezzanine flooring need to ensure their employees are safe. Implementing the right safety measures ensures staff are protected from potential risks.

By following these safety tips when planning your warehouse design, employees can use the space securely at all times. The Health and Safety at Work Act is the set of standards companies must follow to ensure employees and visitors are safe in the workplace. Keeping your workplace’s mezzanine floor aligned with these standards is the best way to protect people using the mezzanine.

Ensuring the mezzanine meets the requirements laid out in the act is a legal requirement; however, it’s also massively beneficial. It improves workplace productivity, reduces the risk of accidents, and increases the amount of space available. To help business owners keep their mezzanine floor safe, we’ve compiled 7 of our mezzanine safety tips.

Table Of Contents

Pallet gates
Make sure the mezzanine is well-lit.
Install sufficient mezzanine handrails.
Keep the mezzanine organised.
Carry out safety training and implement a safety policy.
Adhere to the weight capacity of the mezzanine.
Install proper pallet gates.

Pallet Gates

Pallet gates provide a simple, safe, and effective way to transport heavy-duty goods between flooring. They’re an essential installation to consider when installing your warehouse design. Even when pallet gates are not in use they create a safe barrier that prevents falls. Another benefit is they are a cost-effective alternative to installing a lift, allowing you to transport goods between floor levels using a forklift.

Mezzanine Floor Lighting

Sufficient lighting is a crucial aspect of warehouse design. If any area within a workplace isn’t well lit, the risk of trips and falls increases. This is the same for mezzanine floors, install relevant lighting systems that improve visibility to ensure staff and visitors are safe while on the mezzanine.

Install Secure Handrails

Handrails act as a barrier on mezzanines that protect people from falling. Install them along the edges of the flooring up to the stairs. This not only reduces the risk of falls but also prevents goods and products from falling from the mezzanine.

Organise The Mezzanine’s Surface

Ensure the mezzanine is organised, free of debris, and goods are stored away from walkways. Doing this prevents staff and visitors from tripping over objects. When designing the layout of the flooring, create space for storage and for waste disposal. This makes keeping the flooring system organised and simple for all staff.

Train Your Staff & Create A Safety Policy

There is only so much a warehouse design can do to protect staff while they’re on mezzanine floors. Make sure staff have received appropriate training covering safety procedures. For example, how often they need to clean the floor’s surface, and how to use the pallet gates.

Creating a safety policy gives employees clear instructions to follow when using the mezzanine. When staff understand the best practices to use, the risk of accidents is reduced. Make sure the safety policy is easy to understand, implement, and adhere to, and reward compliance to encourage staff participation.

Follow The Weight Capacity Of The Mezzanine

It’s essential that everyone in the workplace adheres to the weight capacity of a mezzanine floor. As part of your safety training, ensure all staff know the point load capabilities of the structure, to reduce the risk of overbearing the mezzanine. Before transporting or storing any items on the mezzanine, make sure the weight of the goods has been confirmed. Recording this information gives you a clear picture of the capacity of the flooring.

Fire Safety

Like any area of warehouse design, fire safety is essential to monitor when installing a mezzanine floor. Consider whether you need to install sprinkler systems, and the best location for fire escapes and fire extinguishers. Using fire retardant materials in the construction of the structure is also an option that could reduce the risk of a fire starting and/or spreading.

There are fire safety regulations that are a legal requirement to follow. These can be found in the health and safety act; however, some will depend on your warehouse. Consider how big the mezzanine is, what sort of building it is installed in, and how many members of staff you employ when implementing fire safety procedures.

If you’re unsure or have any questions, talk to your mezzanine floor designer. They’re the experts in mezzanine installations and warehouse design. If you’ve purchased a bespoke mezzanine, they’ll also be knowledgeable on the specific design of your unique mezzanine.

SEC Storage, Racking & Mezzanine Solutions

At SEC Storage, we specialise in the design, supply, and installation of intelligent warehouse storage solutions. Space optimising, cost-effective mezzanine floors are only possible with a bespoke design. When warehouse designs are tailored to each client, the efficiency of the production being carried out improves.

Discover innovative mezzanine floors that optimise your storage space while improving workplace safety. Fill in an enquiry form.