Mezzanines and elevated walkways are a great way to create extra storage and floor space in your warehouse without having to relocate or take on a large renovation project.
If you’re interested in creating some extra storage or want to increase the pedestrian safety of your warehouse, Workplace Pedestrian can help. We install warehouse mezzanine floors, staircases and metal walkway decking to create a safe and efficient floor plan storage solution for your business.
Today we’ll be going over some safety factor tips to put in place on your new walkway or mezzanine floor zone.
Fall Protection
All of your staircases and metal walkways are installed and manufactured with rails in place to comply with modern safety standards. In meeting the safety standards for mezzanine floors, there must be safety railings across any exposed areas that could present as a fall risk. While these mezzanine floors may have areas that remain open to make moving products easier it’s still important to install a safety barrier or railing that can be locked in place when in use.
Making sure the correct kind of guard rails are installed on every open and exposed side of your mezzanine floor is essential to protect your workers, inventory, and equipment from falls. These rails can be placed anywhere and mean that when needed they can be moved to transport stock down before being put back in place, requiring no changes to the designated storage spots of your products.
Accessibility
Like any stairwell or storage space in a warehouse, it’s important to keep the area clear of any obstructions or clutter. If products or tripping hazards are left in a walkway or staircase it can lead to more dangerous and harmful issues. For instance, if an employee is walking up the stairs with a handful of tools, or products and can’t see the clutter on the stairs it could mean a fall and serious damage to the employee.
Keeping floorspace clear is one of the easiest steps you can take in your warehouse, it doesn’t cost anything but a keen eye to stay attentive and clear these spills or clutter in a timely manner to reduce more injuries from occurring. By keeping an organised workspace, your employees can work more efficiently without having to worry about clearing things away in the middle of a task. Avoiding these accidents is as easy as training all employees to keep a watchful eye out on these stairs or designating an individual as a safety officer to keep a watch over these easily preventable situations.
Load Requirements
Every surface will have its weight requirement, even stairs and walkways. The load requirements of an installed surface like a mezzanine floor are especially relevant in warehouses that can store large and heavy products. It’s crucial for your business, employees, and products that you don’t exceed the weight limit for these areas. Don’t trust your own judgement, even if your floor or staircase is one of the sturdiest it can only take on so much weight.
You should have appropriate signage and stated loads for your employees to be aware of on these surfaces. This weight limit should include worker capacity and equipment weight factors to enforce these limits and ensure that all personnel are aware of these limitations.
At Workplace Pedestrian Safety we offer a range of elevated walkways, safety barriers and warehouse safety solutions to ensure your business can continue to thrive both in store and behind the scenes. To learn more, visit our website or contact one of our friendly staff for a free quote today!
