Health and safety guidance when using mezzanine floors

Following our complete guide to mezzanine flooring, we decided that we should help people stay safe while using mezzanine floors. Therefore, this blog will outline the vital health and safety precautions you should take when using a mezzanine floor and how to get the most out of the floor space in a safe and secure way. Mezzanine floors are commonplace across the UK as a useful storage space for as variety of goods and materials. Often created in spaces with high ceilings or roofs the ability to gain valuable additional stock capacity is one that many businesses are keen to benefit from. However, mezzanine floors do pose a risk to life and not taking the necessary precautions can result in serious injury or fatality.

1. When accessing the floor space, it is strongly advised that you do so with caution and supervision ensuring that your accent and decent are overseen and supported by another person, to provide stability and assistance while you access the floor space. This is especially important if the mezzanine is accessed by ladder which requires a second person to provide stability on the ladder while it is in use and while the mezzanine floor is being accessed. The wearing of safety equipment such as hardhats and gloves to protect against the possibility of falling from the ladder or from material falling from the raised floor is also advised.

2. The mezzanine floor although ideal for storage should not be overload with goods/materials or with too many persons at any time. The maximum load of the floor should be made clear both by the manufactures of the mezzanine floor and by the company/landlord that will be using it in their premises. Warning signs and labels should be placed on and around the Mezzanine floor space to remind users and those within the premises about the risks of the floor and to be aware of those potential hazards.

3. Mezzanine floors are subject to bearing heavy loads often throughout their existence and therefore, must also be subject to regular checks and inspections for damage and weakness. This is to ensure that the structure is still fit for purpose and able to support the loads and strains it is manufactured to support. Failing these inspections could have major consequences including the closing of the floor until repairs can take place or the floor being removed as it is unsafe.

4. Ensuring that the necessary safety measures are in place and being used correctly is a essential part of using mezzanine floors safely. The use of handrails and staying behind protective barriers and safety structures is important particularly when working and standing at height such as on mezzanine floors. These floors increase the risk of accidents and injuries to those on and around them. Always follow the safety advice when using mezzanine floors and do not exceed the limits that the manufactures have placed on the mezzanine floor. Going beyond safety rails and using equipment and processes that the floors are not designed to withstand should not be carried out under any circumstances.

5. In the event of an emergency it is recommended that you are familiar with the required safety regulations and how they are applied to mezzanine floors. For example, in the event of fire and evacuation, being able to leave the mezzanine quickly and safely is critical to allow all individuals to leave the building including from raised platforms such as mezzanine floors. Failure to provide adequate evaluation arrangements for mezzanine floors could be disastrous. Also, if injury occurs on a mezzanine floor the ability to access the floor by emergency services and the moving of the injured is also an important factor to address as part of emergency and health and safety measures.

Following the guidance set out above should provide suitable protections and arrangements to ensure that you use mezzanine floors safely and correctly, minimising the risk while maximising the benefits that raised floors offer.

If you are interested in a mezzanine floor, checkout our website today at Greenoaks Ltd and we would be happy to help.

A complete guide to mezzanine floors

What is a mezzanine floor?

Mezzanine floors are often called ‘intermediate floors’ because they are placed at half the height of the building. However, these mezzanine floors do not count towards the total amount of floors that a building has. This may be due to the fact that mezzanine floors are not allowed to cover an area greater than 1/3rd of the total floor space. You can combat this issue by having multiple levels of mezzanine floors, as long as the height of your building permits it.

Mezzanine floors don’t need to be permanent structures; You can install temporary mezzanine floor structures if required for your specific use case. A common use for temporary or semi-permanent mezzanine floors is warehouses. The word mezzanine originates from the Italian word ‘mezzano’ which when translated means ‘middle’.

Advantages to mezzanine floors

There are many advantages to mezzanine floors, these include:

• Creating substantial extra space by utilising the full potential of your building/warehouse
• Cost-effective solution
• No required planning permission
• Many more

There is an endless amount of benefits to mezzanine floors, as listed above. These are not the only benefits to mezzanine floors, if you phone Greenoaks we will explain the benefits of a mezzanine floor for your specific use case.

Extra space

Mezzanine floors effectively create 33% extra space per layer (Assuming you utilise the full 1/3rd of floor space allowed per level). As mentioned briefly above you can also have multiple mezzanine floors, as long as the height of your building permits. The ability to stack mezzanine floors effectively makes the limits of extra space as large as the building itself.

Cost-effective

The alternative solutions to gaining more floor space include relocating or expanding your premises. Mezzanine floors are the most cost-effective method of expanding your space.

No planning permission

Most mezzanine floors do not require planning permission to construct. However, if you do have to apply for planning permission for any reason because of their size, it is a simple process.

Where can you use a mezzanine floor?

As you may have guessed by now, because of the benefits, mezzanine floors are used in a wide variety of different applications.

Some of these applications include:

• Warehouses
• Retail
• Offices

Warehouses

Mezzanine floors are the most common way of increasing the space within a warehouse environment, this is because it creates extra storage space cheaply. This extra storage space can be used to hold more stock or to use as extra areas for production. Mezzanine floors also allow the utilisation of vertical space, which could otherwise be waster in a warehouse environment.

Retail

The retail industry must display goods to sell in order to make money. However, the issue that a lot of retailers run into is not having enough space to display all of this stock, and rather than having unorganised, over-crowded counters/displays they can invest in mezzanine floors. These floors will create extra space which retail can use to display extra products or to organise their existing products better.

Offices

Mezzanine floors can be used to create a section of offices (Often within a warehouse), this is because an enclosed mezzanine floor is more cost-effective than building a permanent structure. Using these mezzanine floors also benefits the warehouse as it means they don’t lose any of their original space (Other than the space required for a staircase).

Why you should pick Greenoaks for your mezzanine floors

If you’re looking for a mezzanine floor supplier in Manchester, or anywhere else in the U.K mainland, then give Greenoaks a call, or contact us using the form on our contact us page. We offer fully bespoke options for you and your business which will allow you to fully utilise your space.

Whether you’re looking for mezzanine floors, pallet racking or shelving then Greenoaks is the go-to supplier in the north-west.

Conclusion

In conclusion, I think it’s clear to say that mezzanine floors are extremely beneficial to any environment looking to expand their buildings space, without relocating. Mezzanine floors are versatile and can be used in many other ways than just those displayed within this blog. If you are looking to expand your storage space without breaking the bank, a mezzanine floor is defiantly the right choice for you.