Mezzanine Door Gate

How it works

The gate mounts inside the door frame and stays closed while the building door is open. A forklift pushes the gate leaves inward to place a load on the upper-level floor. As the forklift backs away, the leaves swing closed on their own and guard the opening again.

Anchorage note: Anchors and mounting hardware are not included, and the frame is supplied without anchor or mounting holes. Anchorage design and verification that the existing structure can withstand the loads transferred by the gate are by others.

What OSHA calls this opening

OSHA's general industry rules have a name for an upper-level door you load material through. 29 CFR 1910.21(b) defines a hoist area as any elevated access opening to a walking-working surface through which equipment or materials are loaded or received. Where a worker is exposed to a fall of 4 feet or more at a hoist area, 1910.28(b)(2) requires a guardrail system, personal fall arrest, or travel restraint.

A removable rail section across the opening is the textbook answer. 1910.29(b)(10) allows a gate in its place when the gate provides safety equivalent to a guardrail. That is the job this gate does, and it closes itself, so nobody has to remember to put a rail back.

A door that isn't used for loading can still count as an opening under 1910.28(b)(7). That applies when its inside bottom edge sits less than 39 inches above the floor and its outside bottom edge is 4 feet or more above the level below.

Closed, the gate is built to the guardrail criteria in 1910.29(b). The top edge sits 42 inches, plus or minus 3 inches, above the walking-working surface, and the gate withstands 200 pounds applied outward or downward at the top edge. Your installed height after any threshold still matters. So does the frame the gate mounts to. If a worker has to lean through the opening while the gate is open, 1910.28(b)(2)(ii) requires personal fall arrest.

Frequently asked questions

What protects a second-story door opening when the door is open?

A guardrail across the opening, a personal fall arrest system, or travel restraint, per 29 CFR 1910.28(b)(2). A self-closing gate mounted in the door frame gives you the guardrail without anyone having to put a rail back after each delivery.

Can a forklift push through the gate?

Yes. The forklift pushes the leaves inward, sets the load on the floor, and backs out. The leaves close behind it.

Does the gate still act as a guardrail after it closes behind a load?

Yes. Once the leaves close, the opening is guarded again at guardrail height.

Can it be used behind a roll-up or overhead door?

In most cases, yes. Roll-up openings need a look at the tracks, guides, and clear height first. Send photos of the opening with the door fully up.

What measurements do you need? Why isn't the door width enough?

We need the clear opening with the door fully open, the height from the floor to the top of the trim, and the tightest point inside the frame. Door hardware, stops, and trim shrink the usable opening, so the nominal door size is rarely the number that fits. Photos straight on, from the inside, and of the threshold settle most questions.

When is a pallet gate or horizontal gate the better choice?

When there is no door frame. Where material moves across an open mezzanine edge, a pallet gate or horizontal gate fits the job better. The door gate is built for an existing door or roll-up opening.