I. Work at height – Definition

Work at a height relates to the work done on the surface at the height of at least 1.0 m above the floor or ground..

Work at height does not include any work delivered on the surface, regardless of the height, if this surface:

– Is covered from all sides to a height of at least 1.5m with full walls or walls with frames,

– Is equipped with other fixed structures or devices to protect the worker against fall from a height.

Work at height should be organized and performed in a manner that prevents swinging outside the balustrade railing or outline of the device on which employee stands. On surfaces built to a height of 1.0m above the floor or above the ground, where due to their nature works may be delivered by employees, or as a transition, the railing should be installed consisting of protective rails at least 1.1m high and curbs at least 0.15m high. The midrail shall be placed between the handrail and curb, or this space should be filled in a way that prevents falling. If due to the type and conditions of the execution of the work at the height, the use of railings, referred to above is not possible, other effective measures shall be provided for the protection of workers against falls from a height, suitable for the type of delivered work.

 II. QUALIFICATIONS REQUIRED TO DELIVER WORK AT HEIGHT

Work at height shall be delivered exclusively by employees:

– Who hold a medical certificate confirming absence of contradictions to work at height. A referral regarding medical examination shall include annotations specifying work at height, namely 3m above the ground or less.
– Trained in the field of occupational safety that completed job specific safety training to familiarize them with the nature of work and possible hazards at the given workplace.
– Provided with personal protection equipment and familiarized with operation thereof.

To provide safety appropriate organizational measures may be provided or physical measures, e.g..:

– Fall protection system including assistance of other employee,
– Barriers, guards,
– Equipment protecting against fall from a height,
– Signage and site access security.
– Familiarizing with risk assessment analysis related to delivered work.
– Familiarizing with instructions and procedures applicable at workplace.

III. WORK AT HEIGHT AS SEVEREALY HAZARDOUS WORK.

As work at height is classified particularly hazardous, the employer is obliged to ensure safety during work delivery. In this regard the employer is obliged inter alia to:

– Designate a person supervising delivered works;
– Provide suitable personal protection equipment and collective protection measures;                               – Provide employees with job specific safety training.

IV. WORK MANAGEMENT

1. Work delivered on scaffold and mobile access platforms

Scaffold and mobile access platforms shall be delivered according to manufacturer’s documentation or individual design. Scaffold shall be erected on stable and level ground, with gradient allowing flow of storm water runoff effluent. Quantity and location of anchoring and anchoring force shall be specified in the design or manufacturer documentation. Scaffold and mobile access platform shall be provided with the plate specifying the following:

1. a) Data of contractor erecting the scaffold or mobile access platform, including his name and surname, or Company name and phone;
2. b) Permitted load capacity of catwalks and scaffold or mobile access platform structure.

Scaffold and mobile access platforms shall:

1. a) Be provided with catwalks of working area sufficient to quantity of personnel delivering works and store tools and materials required for works;
2. b) Feature with stable construction to transfer load;
3. c) Be provided with the top rail and vertical circulation.

Assembly, operation and dismantling of scaffold and mobile access platforms is not allowed:

1. a) At night, unless lighting is provided that ensures good visibility;
2. b) During dense fog, rainfall, snowfall and icing;
3. c) During storm or wind speed over 10 m/sec.

Scaffold operation and use may follow, if acceptance inspection has been carried out by site manager or other authorized person. Acceptance of scaffolding shall be confirmed with records in site log or pre-operational inspection report. Scaffold and mobile access platform shall undergo regular checks performed by site manager or other authorized person following strong wind, precipitation, downtime over 10 days, and on regular basis at least once a month. The scope of activities performed in terms of check was specified in manufacturer’s manual or design.

Works related to assembly and dismantling of scaffold and mobile access platform shall be delivered by qualified persons only.

2. Portable ladders

During use and operation of portable ladders it is not allowed to:

1. a) Use any damaged ladder;
2. b) Use a double sided ladder as a straight ladder;
3. c) Position a straight ladder against slippery surface, light or movable objects or piles of materials that do not guarantee required stability;
4. d) Position a ladder in front of closed door, unless locked with a key from the side of positioned ladder;
5. e) Position a ladder on unstable ground and in vicinity of machinery and other devices in manner that poses risk for employees working on ladder;
6. f) Carry a ladder over 4m long by one person;

A straight ladder shall protrude 1m over the surface where it is leading to, and angle shall be 75°.

Every time adhere to the following rules regarding use of ladder:

1. a) Works related to painting may be delivered on a double sided ladder only up to height of 4 m from the floor;
2. b) Ladder without brackets that is over 4m long, shall before carrying or assembly be provided with a vertical guide to allow installation of automatic restraint device connected to safety rope of harness;
3. c) During works on rope ladders persons shall be protected against fall from a height with the vertical guide, installed independently of load carrying ropes;
4. d) Delivery of works related to plastering and masonry on a straight ladder is not allowed;
5. e) Works on ladders related to rough carpentry may be delivered up to height of 3m.

3. Fixing brackets and other devices

During works on fixing brackets and other devices not purposed for presence of people, delivered at height up to 2m over the floor or ground, if delivery of works require swinging outside the balustrade railing or outline of the device on which a person stands, or adopting another forced posture that poses risk of fall from a height, the following protective measures shall be provided:

1. a) Fixing brackets, catwalks and other stable devices with protection against accidental displacement, and of sufficient load capacity;
2. b) Access walkway that meets the following requirements:
3. c) Working area sufficient to quantity of personnel delivering works and to store tools and materials required for works,
4. d) Floor shall be level, and permanently fixed to the structural elements of walkway,
5. e) Information shall be provided in visible manner on walkway regarding permitted load capacity.

4. Works related to poles, posts, towers, chimneys, civil engineering structures without structural floors

If nature of delivered works require swinging outside the balustrade railing or outline of the device on which a person stands, or adopting another forced posture that poses risk of fall from a height, it is required in particular to:

Before work commencement:

– Check the condition of the structure or equipment on which works are to be carried out, including their stability, load capacity;

– Protection against accidental displacement;

– Condition of the fixed structures or devices designed to be used for the attachment of lifelines.

Employees delivering work:

– Shall be provided with equipment appropriate to the type of work performed that protects against fall from a height, namely: a safety harness with a lanyard attached to the solid parts of the structure, the safety harness with a lap belt (for works delivered on poles, masts, etc.), safety helmets.

Legal basis:

The Regulation of the Labour and Social Policy Minister as of 26 September 1997 on general provisions for safety and hygiene at work. Consolidated text:  JoL from 2003. No. 169, item 1650 as amended.

Prepared by:

HSE Specialist

Tomasz Leliński

Mezzanine is a best solution to expand storage spaces.

Mezzanine provides an additional structural floor that may be installed inside high warehouses to expand significantly storage spaces. This way you can also separate administration spaces from the production floor.

What are the key features of mezzanine structure

To answer this question we need to quote the definition of mezzanine.

Pursuant to § 3 clause 19 of the Regulation of the Minister of Infrastructure as of 12 April 2002 on technical conditions, which should correspond to the buildings and their location (JoL 2015.1422 as of 2015.09.18), a mezzanine relates to the upper storeys or rooms above an intermediate floor less from the surface of the floor or room, an unclosed construction divisions from insides, from which it is separated. According to this definition, Any additional spaces shall be deemed the mezzanine, if area thereof is less than area of the warehouse. Consequently this relates to warehouse area where mezzanine is to erected.

Preparation is crucial.

Mezzanine erection may result in change of building performance or technical parameters. In this case erection may cause alteration of existing structure (warehouse).

Pursuant to Art. 28 § 1 of building law, the building permit is required in this case. Mezzanine has not been listed in Art. 29 of building law, which indicated objects and civil works which do not require a planning decision. Neither notification referred to in Art. 30 of the above act applies in case of mezzanine erection.

When useful floor space is below 1000m², and it is impossible to meet some requirements specified in § 2 of the Regulation on technical conditions, which should correspond to the buildings and their location, as well as those included in Art. 5 and 6 of building law, the Investor shall comply with § 2 clause 2 of the above Regulation which allows other solutions to be employed upon approval of competent authorities, e.g. Fire Service.

However before commencement of works follow in terms of mezzanine erection, firstly the design documentation shall be produced and location of mezzanine shall be specified.

Mezzanine erection results in many changes of warehouse management.

Actually before erection of mezzanine the following shall be considered:

• Ground bearing capacity
• Quantity of emergency exits
• Quantity of fire equipment (in particular fire extinguishers, fire hydrants)
• Fire escape routes
• Access to emergency exits (exit access)

Mezzanine location may result in more people employed in warehouse and consequently quantity of escape routes and emergency exits required, as well as the erection of mezzanine itself (stair width, landing width etc..).

Pursuant to § 236 section 1 of the Regulation on technical conditions, which should correspond to the buildings and their location, spaces occupied by people shall ensure escape outside the building or to adjacent fire zone, directly or using circulation spaces hereinafter referred to as ”escape routes”.

• 236 section 6 of the above regulation provides that the required width and quantity of accesses, exits and emergency routes provided in the building, whose intended purpose and development did not indicate clearly the maximum number of occupiers, shall be specified with reference to the area, namely:

Warehouses– 30 m2/person.

Pursuant to § 237 the spaces the be provided with access hereinafter referred to as “exit access” from the furthermost place, where human may stay, to the emergency exit leading to emergency route or other fire zone or outside the building, of length below:

1. 75m within fire zones PM of fire load over 500 MJ/m², in case of building with more than one storey above ground;
2. 100m within fire zones PM, of fire load below 500 MJ/m², in case of building with more than one storey above ground and fire zones PM of building with one storey above ground regardless fire load.

The construction of mezzanine shall take into account a quantity and type of goods purposed for storage.  The mezzanine shall be anchored properly to the ground.

Each storey shall be provided with label clearly stating load bearing capacity per m².

Employees shall always adhere to the specified load bearing capacity when handling stored goods.

Mezzanine may also provide two or three additional storeys inside the production building with circulation provided with stairs or an elevator. Circulation between mezzanines at the same level is possible thanks to special platforms. Mezzanines, stairs, platforms shall be protected with barriers.

Width of mezzanine stairs providing emergency exit shall be calculated proportionally to number of people staying on the storey at the same time, where more people is allowed, and shall be minimum:

1. A) 1.2 – Stair flight width

1.5 – standing width

0.175 – step height – for warehouse with more than 10 people employed.

1. B) 0.9 – Stair flight width

0.9 – standing width

0.19 – step height– for warehouse where more than 10 people is present.

Mezzanine shall be fitted with stair balustrade. Pursuant to § 105 of the Regulation of the Labour and Social Policy Minister as of 26 September 1997 on general provisions for safety and hygiene at work, (JoL 2003.169.1650 dated 2003.09.29) work at a height within the meaning of regulation is the work done on the surface at the height of at least 1.0 m above the floor or ground, excluding the wall of height from mezzanine floor up to the ceiling.

The mezzanine shall be provided with barriers preventing fall installed from each side. Barrier shall be 1.1m high and shall be provided with toeboard– 0.15m wide and rail 0.55m high.

Each storey of mezzanine installed within warehouse shall be at least 2.2m high.

Pursuant to § 20 of the Regulation of the Labour and Social Policy Minister as of 26 September 1997 on general provisions for safety and hygiene at work (JoL 2003.169.1650 dated 2003.09.29), spaces related to: personnel room, guard room or exchange office in the warehouse, and located at the goods storage level or the mezzanine open towards warehouse, shall have minimum height of 2.2m in the light

The mezzanine may be used to deliver administration and office works, at location where employees will not be exposed to noise inside the production building. Office located at the same level where storage operations are carried out prevent and contributes to dialogue with employees. Consequently efficiency of building management is enhanced.

Note also barriers protecting office wall against impacts by e.g.: manually operated pellet truck or battery truck.

Fire-fighting equipment provided on mezzanine.

Pursuant to the Regulation of the Minister of Internal Affairs and Administration as of 7 June 2010 concerning the fire protection of buildings and of other construction objects or premises (JoL No. 109, item 719), the mezzanine shall be fitted with extinguishers. Pursuant to § 32 section 3 of above quoted regulation, extinguishing medium of 2kg (or 3dm³) mass contained in extinguisher shall be provided, except of special cases as specified in further regulations, for each:

1. 100 m² area of building fire zone, when without automatic suppression system:
   a) classified to ZL I, ZL II, ZL III or ZL V human hazard class;
   b) production and storage spaces with fire load over 500 MJ/m²
   c) areas including spaces where explosion hazard is possible

A distance between extinguishers shall not be over 30m.

Designation of location for mezzanine is not easy matter and requires some expertise.  Before commencement of works related to mezzanine erection in warehouse, you need to prepare well.

Actually the best practice is to consult specialists possessing expertise and experience in the field of mezzanine erection.

Prepared by:

Tomasz Leliński

HSE  Chief Specialist

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