The mezzanines in my shed build could present a real danger for people accessing them. The height of the mezzanine level exceeds 2m – all too regularly, fatalities occur in falls less than that within the building industry and other industries. All countries have standards for handrails, and I applied the relevant one for my jurisdiction. The handrails are required to withstand a lateral force of 30kg and meet a minimum height. The handrails that I built and fitted to the mezzanines meet those standards. During the design, it was decided to place only a single access point for each mezzanine. This meant that each opening would need a gate (or door) and all other parts of the mezzanines could be barricaded properly. The handrails were welded up and fitted to the mezzanines, and painted in the requisite traditional high-visibility colour (Photo 31).
Access to the mezzanines
Access to the mezzanines is accomplished through a portable ladder. This ladder was designed and built to provide access for people and materials. The ladder is moved from one position to another via a pallet jack. Materials are moved from one level to the next using the ladder, or a lifting arrangement. To aid in this, one section of mezzanine handrail in each of the main workshop sides was made removable. A stiffener was designed and fitted to the roof structure to aid in lifting the handrail section away when removed, and to aid with lifting items up to the mezzanine level. A small mains-powered winch (100kg) is used for this purpose, and for supporting the lift-out handrail during removal/reinstatement.
The various benches
Standing desk in the office
The office needs a bench capable of supporting a number of computers and electronics development boards. While I have only one computer in there, I often find myself fixing other computers for various people or causes. I have found that you can never have too much desk space when doingwith a top measuring 3200x800mm.
