Safety tips for mezzanines

To help business owners keep their mezzanine floor safe, we’ve compiled 7 of our mezzanine safety tips. 

Pallet gates: These provide a simple, safe, and effective way to transport heavy-duty goods between floors. They’re an essential installation to consider when planning 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.

Train your staff & create a safety policy: 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. 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.

For more information, visit www.sec-online.co.uk