Warehouse and factory floors can be chaotic places. Ideally they’re not, but in reality they can be. Especially in the case of large scale distribution operations, which sometimes are staffed by temporary workers and which can have high turnover rates, the common denominator of worker attention to detail and safety can be lower than optimal. I worked in such a place for a short while after graduating, and I was thankful upon emerging from that job that I never banged my head on anything and that I was never run over by a forklift. These kinds of places hardly need extra variables in the safety equation. Clear span mezzanines, in addition to all of the other benefits that they offer their users, eliminate one of these variables.

A clear span mezzanine is characterized by the clearness of its span. In other words, there are no obtrusive structural supports erected in the span between the mezzanine’s legs. This is beneficial for two main reasons. The first and most important reason is that the absence of structural supports in the span means that there are fewer obstacles to people and to space use. If a stack of boxes or other objects needs to be stored beneath a clear span mezzanine, it’s likely to be easier to do so than it would be beneath a mezzanine with structural beams in its span; these beams effectively form a barrier to space use and storage. The second reason is more novel and is enjoyed by people with low levels of special awareness.

The warehouse where I worked was a hodgepodge of accumulated shelving and storage racks, and I can’t count the number of near misses I had while leaning in to collect inventory. I was always thankful for shelving and racks with clear spans, first because it reduced the chances of head-bonking, and second because it was much easier to place and remove inventory without the presence of the obstacle. Clear span mezzanine users enjoy these benefits as well.