Health and safety in the workplace should be of paramount importance, regardless of what industry someone is working in. So when it comes to warehouse mezzanine floors, a safely designed mezzanine can dramatically reduce or eliminate the risk of falls and resulting injuries.
Mezzanines are exposed platforms suspended between floors, often busy with product traffic, workers and inventory storage. Of course accidents happen, but quite often many of these incidents can be prevented if the appropriate measures are in place. Not only can this guarantee the safety of personnel, but it can also prevent the lost revenue from damages to stock, employee accidents and fatalities and safety code violations, among other issues.
Safe work systems should also be in place for workers accessing and working on the mezzanine floor Sydney wide and beyond. Below are some tips for maintaining mezzanine safety that can easily be implemented.
Staff training and safety policies
All staff and personnel should receive the correct training, taking a look at all elements including spillages and trip hazards and how best to deal with these.
Organisation
Keeping the mezzanine floor organised is an excellent way to lower the chance of trips and falls caused by inventory not being properly stored. Everyone working should be responsible for keeping the space uncluttered and organised. Sweep away any debris and ensure that spillages are dealt with immediately.
Secure storage
Objects and inventory should be safely and securely stored. This can be done through the use of organised storage utilising boxes and crates, as well as ensuring that equipment or machinery is safely stowed.
Lighting
This is a no-brainer, but like with many other work environments, it is crucial that the mezzanine floor be well-lit. If the space is dark, this can increase the likelihood of accidents and falls when people can’t see things properly.
Handrails
It’s essential that sufficient mezzanine handrails be installed along the outside edges of the mezzanine and stairs, as this will offer more protection to those coming up and down to the mezzanine floor and helps keep crew safe as well as avoiding costly fines.
Kickboards
Similar to handrails, kickboards should be installed on all outside edges of the mezzanine floor and will lower the possibility of objects falling off, offering added protection to those on the mezzanine.
Safety and pallet gates
Installing proper pallet gates means that the space where pallets move on and off the mezzanine floor is properly secured. Gates chosen should be crafted by a reputable and trusted company and meet industry standards. They will often be made from high quality and durable materials and be user friendly.
Weight capacity
It’s imperative that everyone adhere to the weight capacity of the mezzanine floor, particularly when storing product and/or equipment and when personnel are present, as by allowing too many people or stock onto the mezzanine could result in accidents, injuries and potentially even fatalities if the mezzanine were to collapse. A good practice is to display information regarding the weight capacity after installation of a mezzanine floor.
It’s up to everyone in a warehouse or workspace to know what the safety rules are and how best to implement them. Any business’s greatest responsibility is to their employees’ safety. The appropriate required safety equipment should be purchased or constructed, alongside a company-wide safety plan that is developed and implemented. Hopefully if this is all done, processes can work seamlessly and the safety and protection of workers and inventory can be guaranteed.
