Fitting out your office or warehouse with a mezzanine floor means there are strict compliance and safety regulations that you must adhere to, ensuring the wellbeing of your staff and building structure. There are very specific Building Regulation guidelines that we are going to cover in this document for your awareness.

Building Regulations have been put in place to ensure minimum standards are met when undertaking significant changes to a building, they are designed to keep people and buildings safe and compliant. There are guidelines on energy conservation, access, travel distance and fresh air supply for example. The current edition of the Building Regulations is the Building Regulations 2000 (as amended) and the majority of building projects are required to comply with them and apply in England and Wales.

The following are all defined as ‘building work’ and require building regulation approval:

• The extension or erection of a building
• The installation or extension of a service or fitting which is controlled under the regulations
• An alteration project involving work which will temporarily or permanently affect on-going compliance of the building, service or fitting with the requirements relating to structure, fire safety or access to and use of buildings
• Material change of use
• The insertion of insulation into a cavity wall
• The underpinning of the foundation of a building
• Change of energy status work
• Work relating to thermal elements
• Work required as direct improvements to energy performance

We have highlighted below the most relevant requirements applicable to mezzanine floors, office fit-outs and warehouse fit-outs;

• Part A – Structure
• Part B – Fire Safety
• Part F – Ventilation
• Part K – Protection from falling, collision and impact
• Part L – Conservation of fuel and power
• Part M – Access to and use of buildings

There are other parts of the Building Regulations that may be applicable depending on the extent of the project.  For instance, Drainage, Part H will be applicable if WCs or kitchens are installed.

Failure to comply with Building regulations is a criminal offence and action may be taken against you under the Building Act 1984. The penalties could be as serious as enforcement, but you will usually be given a notice to pull down or remove any work contravening the Regulations in the first instance.

We have noted the most relevant information from the Building Regulations for you to follow:

Part A – Structure

Part A of the Building Regulations requires the building structure to be constructed so that the dead and imposed loads are sustained and transmitted by it to the ground safely, without causing deflection or deformation of any part of the building. This includes movement of the ground, including subsidence which will damage the stability of any part of the building, or another building.

When designing a mezzanine floor it must be able to sustain the weight of the load for which it is intended. Careful thought should be given to concentrated loads in a single position, such as a large and heavy piece of machinery and also distributed loads such as a length of storage racking. A load notice should always be fixed to the mezzanine floor stating maximum permissible loads.

Rarely there are requirements for additional foundations to be created beneath the existing concrete floor of an industrial building to support a new mezzanine installation. If additional foundations are required, then a structural assessment will need to be undertaken at the design stage.

Part B – Fire Safety

This part of the Building Regulations is to ensure that a reasonable standard of life safety is provided in case of a fire. There is no requirement for protection of property.

Warnings and Escape in case of fire.

Reducing risk to occupants being trapped in a building by fire is essential, there are minimum requirements that need to be met with regards to fire alarms, escape routes and provision of fire exits.

The very minimum recommendation made within Building Regulations Part B is the installation of a manual fire system that comprises of call points and alarm sounders. This system relies on occupants in the building detecting a fire and raising the alarm. In buildings with layouts that are more complex or with areas that are not frequently occupied, you should be using an automatic fire detection system as there is a higher risk of undetected fire. The extent of the provision depends on the degree of risk.

Fire detection and alarm systems must be properly designed, installed and maintained and a design, installation and commissioning certificate must be provided for the systems.

Third party certification schemes for fire protection products and related services are an effective

means of providing assurances of quality, reliability and safety.

Horizontal Escape

There are strict travel distances from inside a building to the final exit or storey exit to make sure occupants have the best possible chance to escape before conditions are untenable.

Maximum distances will depend on the use of the buildings and risk levels, it also depends on the number of escape routes available. For example, in an office with only one exit the maximum distance is 18m. If the office has two exits the travel distance limitation is extended to 45m. Exits are considered to be alternative if the escape routes are 45m or more apart.

With a warehouse or industrial unit used for storage the travel distance in a single direction is 25m and 45m if two exits are provided from the mezzanine

The number of fire exits the building has will depend on the maximum number of people within the building.

Protected Corridors

Corridors that have alternative escape routes do not require specific fire protection, it is necessary however, if your dead end corridor exceeds 2m in length, in this case the walls should have at least a 30 minute fire-resistant to protect the escape route.

Vertical Escape

When escaping a fire from upper floors it is usually by means of a staircase located in a fire protected corridor or enclosure with a storage mezzanine, or the mezzanine will have a sprinkler system. This is usually considered satisfactory if the travel distance is within the limitations and the number of people likely to be using this route is low.

It is important to make sure all your emergency lighting and emergency fire exit signage are in the correct places to assist escape in case of a fire.

Structural Fire Resistance

Your building floor should achieve at least a 1 hour resistance to fire, this allows for an appropriate amount of time for occupants to escape the building and for fire services to undertake a search and rescue operation safely. A common approach with mezzanine floors is to provide a fire resisting suspended ceiling below the floor and to fix fire resisting column casings, along with fascia to any exposed edges.

Generally if your mezzanine floor does not exceed 10m in either width or length and does not exceed one half of the floor area of the space in which it is situated and is used solely for the purpose of storage then the risk is reduced and structural fire protection is not required. The floor size can be increased to no more than 20m in either width or length if an automatic fire detection and alarm system is installed in accordance with BS 5839-1:2013. If there is an automatic sprinkler system installed the size of the floor has fewer limits.

Compartmentation

If there are areas designated for different uses within your building and are not considered necessary to the main use of the building, there is a requirement for fire compartmentation between the uses.

This is also a requirement for a building that is divided into separate occupancies to have fire separation between the occupancies to ensure the occupants not to be hazarded by a fire, which could develop undetected, in the other occupancy.

Fire Risk Assessment

Employers, owners, landlords or occupiers of non-domestic premises are responsible for fire safety and are known as the ‘responsible person’ as there are no on-going compliance control once a project has been completed, by law it is the responsibility of ‘responsible person’ to carry out regular reviewing of a fire risk assessment of the premises.

Any further changes to the layout of a building that have an effect on fire safety will require additional building regulations consent.

Part F – Ventilation

Your building ventilation can be delivered via a natural ventilation system, a mechanical system or a combination of both (i.e. mixed-mode or hybrid ventilation system). Your ventilation strategy should be considered early on within the design stage. If natural ventilation is not possible then you must install a mechanical air supply and extract system. Comfort cooling is not an alternative to ventilation.

Part K – Protection from falling, collision and impact

All stairs, ladders and ramps must be designed, constructed and installed to be as safe as possible for people moving between different levels within your building. These should also be provided with barriers where necessary to prevent falls.

Any glazing in critical locations, below 800mm from floor level and 1500mm in doors and adjacent side panels must be installed with safety glass which breaks safely without causing injury.

Part L – Fuel and power conservation

This part of the Building Regulations makes reasonable provisions for the conservation of fuel and power in your building by limiting heat gains and losses and by offering fixed building services which are energy efficient and have effective controls. Part L also supplies building owners with information regarding the building, the fixed building services and the maintenance requirements so the building can operate in an effective way, using no more fuel and power than necessary.

Consequential Improvements

Additional work may be undertaken to make an existing building more energy efficient when certain types of other work are proposed. The requirements:

• Total useful floor area of over 1,000m2

Where the proposed work consists of or includes:

• An extension
• Initial provision of any fixed building service;
• Increase to the installed capacity of any fixed building service.

Part M – Access to and use of buildings

Part M is designed to foster a more inclusive approach to design to accommodate the needs of all people.

Part M and the Equality Act 2010.

The Equality Act 2010 brings together existing equalities legislation, including the Disability Discrimination Act 1995, aiming to strengthen and also harmonise existing provisions into a single streamlined framework of equalities legislation to deliver and determine outcomes.  Compliance with Part M of the Building Regulations does not necessarily equate to compliance with the obligations and duties set out in the Equalities Act.

Any fit out works subject to a Material Alteration under the Building Regulations, must comply where relevant with Part M.  Meaning that any alterations to features relevant to the compliance of a building with Part M, i.e entrances or arrangement for people to get from one level to another within the building, must result in features that comply. 

Any new features relevant to Part M are provided, must also comply.  Some of the provisions to consider are:

• Widths of doors and corridors
• Sanitary accommodation accessibility for wheelchair users and people with ambulant disabilities as well as parents with children and people (e.g. those with luggage) who need an enlarged space.
• Door opening forces
• Conference rooms, meet8ing rooms and reception areas to be fitted with hearing loops
• Height of switches and sockets
• Colour contrasting or important features or obstructions
• Manifestation of glazing
• Vertical circulation
• Design of reception desk
• Accessible refreshment facilities

It is important that you are aware of Building Regulations, when working with STS Storage Systems to complete a mezzanines floor installation we will undertake the Building Regulations application on your behalf and advise you of the requirements.