Safety Factor
Safety Factor
(OP)
Can anyone tell me if there is a recommended safety factor for design of mezzanines? It is a mezzanine for equipment, so people are not normally on top, but people will be working underneath.
We purchased the mezzanine as a part of a whole package of equipment. We are concerned with the structural integrity of the mezzanine and are trying to get the vendor to brace the structure. I would like to tell them a safety factor of 2, but I wanted to check if there was something better to reference that would back me up.
Thanks.






RE: Safety Factor
RE: Safety Factor
RE: Safety Factor
I would require that they design it to whatever code applies in your jurisdiction and not define a F. S.
RE: Safety Factor
So this is why to find an appropriate guide or code for the contraption is paramount, since it will keep you tight to a path of safety, economy, and good practice.
RE: Safety Factor
BA
RE: Safety Factor
RE: Safety Factor
If a vendor insists that you provide a "factor of safety" for a structural item like a mezzanine then go find yourself a different vendor. Machine designers might use "factor of safety" terminology but structural engineers (generally) do not.
Now, if you know your required minimum live load is 100 psf then it is you perogotive at that point to add a factor of safety if you wish and ask for the mezzanine to be designed for, say, 200 psf instead.
RE: Safety Factor
BA
RE: Safety Factor
A little more info. The equipment is already in house and there is already deflection in the support beams, so this is a situation where we are trying to get the vendor to correct the issue.
Calculating the load for one of the heavier pieces of equipment, it would be 182 psf.
RE: Safety Factor
It could be that your equipment vendor did not specify the correct loading to the mezzanine fabricator. You could probably find out what the mezzanine fabricator designed for and compare that to the weight of the equipment.