Guardrail Requirements - Forklift Traffic
Looking for some assistance! We have expanded our facility and part of the expansion will include a mezzanine used for storage.
My team wants to be able to access the mezz with a forklift. Are there any standards or general design considerations for the capacity of guardrails installed on this mezzanine with forklift traffic?
Comments (1)
Guardrails have to meet the MINIMUM strength requirements of 200 lbs. for the top rail, 150 lbs. for the midrail, and 50 lbs. for the toeboard (if you use a toeboard). In general, guardails are typically used for fall protection from mezzanines and LIGHT impact protection - not necessarily impact protection from a 10,000 lb. forklift, so I would definitely get a qualified person to help design your guardrails (typically an RPE, but check your local AHJ for specific requirements).
Not sure of your space constraints, but typically, what I've done in the past with overhead storage areas is install a gate on one side, then use a pallet jack to move materials on the mezzanine to the edge, then have the forklift or telehandler get the materials from the edge, rather than having a forklift up on a mezzanine. Is that an option?
Also, will the mezzanine support the forklift itself, plus the weight (probably close to 15k+ lbs. in one location)?