Sooner or later, the grating will be removed to access the equipment below. In many, perhaps most, cases when
grating is removed, the clips are not replaced. The grating is simply laid on top of the beams. Bye-bye lateral support.
I can see grating welded to the top flange as providing bracing to the beam, provided that the grating is similarly attached to something rigid enough to provide lateral support, like a foundation wall. Two parallel beams cannot provide bracing to each other in this manner.
There are many different kind of clips that are used and I would not claim that any clip will provide adequate support. They maybe OK for uplift but not for lateral!
shin, clue yes. But how much? It doesn't help with that. As the EOR, it's our prerogative to decide whether to assume a condition or to check it, and then proceed accordingly. My advice is not to assume grating works. That's just my opinion.
I would go with MarchSE's answer. (Also check the other end of the grating to make sure it's welded to something there- if not, a weld at the beam doesn't help much.) On the rigidity question, you'd also need to look at the other end as well.
Three connecting clips per panel end, (panel width of 35 13/16"), is sufficient for 1 1/4" deep 3/16" wide steel bars on 1 3/16" spacing with welded or swaged cross members. This amount of connection strength works for bracing top flange of most beams less than 18" in depth. There is over seven square inches of steel area in a panel cross section as described above so the amount of bracing available is significant.
