Mezzanine floors

Mezzanines help to maximise space and create extra capacity within a warehouse or factory facility. All companies with employees working on a mezzanine should be aware of all the relevant safety implications involved with working at height. It’s critical that employee safety is always protected and mezzanines are regularly checked for potential hazards.

According to research carried out by the HSE, falls from a height were the most common cause of fatal accidents in the UK in 2019/2020.

See our five tips for improving the safety standards on your mezzanine:

1. Mezzanines are by nature dark environments so careful consideration needs to be given to lighting the environment. You need to ensure the mezzanine is well lit to improve visibility as this will reduce the risk of trip hazards when working at height.
2. Ensure the warehouse is well organised to lower the chance of trips and falls. This is particularly important as stock starts to grow, the use of a mezzanine floor will provide extra capacity to store stock and keep the area free from hazards.
3. Employees should adhere to training procedures and should notify their employer if they feel there is any danger not being addressed when working at height. All employees should receive training to ensure they have solid knowledge of current regulations, risks and a thorough understanding of safety equipment.
4. As outlined in the Ajax whitepaper -working at height, risk assessments must be carried out by an employer. The Working At Height Regulations 2005 states that employers and self employed contractors must assess risks as well as organise and plan work so it is carried out safely.
5. Most importantly, install robust pallet gates. The HSE states that all companies should ensure their mezzanine floors have adequate protection to prevent workers from falling when loading and unloading pallet gates. If there is an opening on the mezzanine floor for pallets to be moved then the space should be effectively secured with appropriate gates. Pallet gates work in conjunction with a mezzanine floor by enabling an employee to safely load items from a height with no need to stand by an open edge. There have also been some instances with inferior or non-compliant ‘gates’ where these installations are dangerous to operate or are routinely left open and accidents waiting to happen! Safety pallet gates are required to allow for forklift access whilst separating personnel on the mezzanine from the platform edge and moving pallets. The Ajax pallet gates fully achieve this requirement.

The technical team at Ajax Safe Access have developed an extensive range of safe access solutions to improve productivity and support a safer working environment. For more information and to discuss safety access systems please call: 0115 986 6321 or email: ajax@canalengineering.co.uk

A mezzanine floor is an intermediate floor between existing storeys of a building, and is partly open to the floor below. They create additional floor space in high-ceilinged areas, sitting halfway between the existing floor and ceiling.

The mezzanine does not count towards the number of floors in a building, and usually cannot cover any more than one-third of the total floor area.

Mezzanines for storage

When companies expand or increase manufacturing output, they can often find that their existing facilities are no longer large enough to meet their requirements. You may consider moving to a new location, expanding existing units or even building an entirely new facility. However, these options are costly and time-consuming, and can interrupt business for weeks or months.

As warehouse facilities often have high ceilings, they lend themselves to the installation of a mezzanine floor. This is a cost-effective way to increase your usable space, allowing you to stay where you are and minimise disruption.

Office mezzanines

Mezzanines aren’t just for additional storage, however. As businesses expand, they may find increased need for client meetings or on-site management. A mezzanine is therefore an ideal solution provide office space, meeting rooms, or other sectioned-off spaces as required.

The lower build costs of office mezzanines allow businesses to benefit from more usable space without huge bills or disruptive construction. A office mezzanine can be incorporated into the factory or warehouse, giving ease of supervision where required.

Benefits of mezzanine floors

Unlike most building extensions, mezzanines are versatile and non-permanent. This means that you can alter or completely remove them if your needs change. You also don’t need planning permission to add a mezzanine floor or office under 200sq/m.

It’s easy to add a variety of accessories to improve safety and productivity of your warehouse or packing facility. This may be protective guards and handrails, goods lifts, gravity chutes or conveyor belts.

Mezzanine floor installation

If you’re struggling for space in your warehouse or other facility, consider mezzanine floor installation by Ajax Safe Access.

Our design team will work with you to create the ideal solution, integrating safety features to deliver a functional space.

We can also carry out installation outside of working hours to minimise disruption to your facility.

Get in touch with us online to tell us your requirements and find out how we can help.