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Mezzanine Safety Gates: Top Reasons Why You Need Them
Mezzanine Safety Gates: Solutions for Warehouse Fall Protection & Safety Standard Compliance
How you use the limited space in your warehouse or industrial facility is always an important factor to consider. And as warehouse architects, contractors and engineers are trending toward designing newer warehouses in urban areas with limited square footage, building and expanding up, not out, is a necessity.
Building up, however, means an increased risk of falls from mezzanines or elevated platforms. For this reason, fall protection for elevated platforms and mezzanines must be addressed with mezzanine safety gates - a need for any facility that is looking to expand vertically.
Mezzanines Provide Optimal Use of Facility Space as Automation Becomes More Prevalent
While building vertical may have been logistically challenging in the past, automation has made it not only a viable option but preferred in many cases.
Automated guided vehicles, or AGVs, are now used to improve the throughput speed of products from the end-of-line equipment to shipping. Additionally, the use of automated storage and retrieval systems allow machines to remove the need for the bulk of human interaction by using robotics to move to different levels and pick the products.
That said, there still needs to be access for workers, and that’s why you need mezzanine safety barriers.
Mezzanine Safety Gates Meet Applicable OSHA, ANSI and IBC Standards
It’s great that mezzanines and raised platforms improve your warehouse’s space efficiency, but it also creates a dramatic increase in safety hazards. For this reason, certain safety standards and regulations have been put in place to mitigate these risks, and mezzanine safety barriers will allow you to comply and keep your workers safe.
The applicable standards met by mezzanines or platform safety gates include
Requires that employers must provide fall protection for personnel on walking-working surfaces 4'0" (1200 mm) or more above the lower level.
Requires that employers must ensure toeboards are used on overhead walking-working surface to protect object from falling and injuring employees below.
- ANSI 2009 standard section 6.4.3
A report published by the Storage Equipment Manufacturers Associations (SEMA) reads, "any gate that provides an access opening through the guards for the purpose of loading and unloading material onto a work platform shall be designed such that the elevated surface is protected by guards at all times. Gates that swing open, slide open, or lift out leaving an unprotected opening in the guarding are not acceptable."
Since efficiency is paramount to your facility’s growth, and compliance with these standards is mandatory, Rite-Hite has designed two mezzanine safety gate solutions to address your warehouse’s vertical needs.
GateKeeper Mezzanine Safety Gate
The GateKeeper mezzanine safety gate is a dual reciprocating barrier that works to create a controlled access area where the inner and outer gates can’t be opened at the same time. The key feature is a link bar design that allows the outer gate to be open to allow in pallets while the inner gate automatically closes to keep personnel out.
RacKeeper Safety Gate
The RacKeeper functions similarly to the GateKeeper, but the main difference is that it utilizes the existing rack structure to minimize the footprint in existing or new installation rack bays. Perfect for multilevel pick modules, the RacKeeper safety gate reduces human interaction in the rack bays while still working in unison to prevent the outer gate and inner gate from being opened at the same time.
Why do you need mezzanine safety gates? If you’re building vertical in your warehouse, ensuring employee safety and staying up-to-date with fall protection standards can set your company apart from the rest. Mezzanine safety and platform barriers are your solution for keeping your employees safe from top to bottom.
Contact Us for Your Fall Protection Needs