Whether you’re designing a new space in your commercial premises, or refurbishing an old one, it's important to consider effective measures that can easily be put in place to minimise hazards of slips and falls. It is required by law that flooring is not slippery for your workforce. If you don’t cover yourself and invest in slip resistant flooring materials, you risk serious injuries occurring resulting in avoidable financial claims against you.
Business Entrances
Entrances have the highest volume of footfall due to the entirety of visitors using them. It’s essential every aspect of an entrance is well designed to ensure contamination from the outside is kept to a minimum. As you can imagine, entrances are vulnerable to poor weather conditions and flooring can easily become slippery in minutes, whether it’s rain blown in through an open door or the floor becoming soiled from the soles of shoes. Therefore, to ensure a minimal number of slips in this high footfall area, best practice is to install slip resistant flooring so even in that dreaded wet weather, a slip hazard from a wet floor can be avoided.
Dirt can also be tracked much further than an entrance from a shoe so for additional peace of mind, it may be a good idea to invest in a mat that can absorb some moisture and hinder dirt passing through as often.
Fire exits also present the same concerns when it comes to heavy footfall, along with the added chaos in an emergency situation to exit. We recommend minimising further danger by ensuring you have slip resistant flooring installed so everyone can make a safe and efficient escape.
Toilets
Due to the nature of bathroom use, it’s highly likely that floors can become wet and slippery, whether it’s from splashes from the sink and toilet or from the routine cleaning in the form of floor mopping. It’s easy to see why slips can happen often in these areas, as it’s difficult to rid your bathroom of water contamination, especially if your provide additional facilities to your staff such as showers and changing rooms. Considering slip resistant flooring will help solve that never ending problem, and well help reduce slips whether users are barefoot or wearing a type of footwear. Be sure to maintain your flooring’s properties by cleaning it regularly.
Kitchens
Kitchens are generally fast paced and busy environments, especially in a business setting. Similar to a bathroom, a kitchen can have frequent spillages such as oil, water, food and cleaning products. However, within a kitchen environment there is also added danger due to heat sources and sharp objects which can result in devastating injuries. To minimise the likelihood of these incidents occurring, you can invest in slip resistant flooring to endure these types of conditions.
It is always good practise to clean up any spill as soon as possible, but slip resistant flooring may give you that extra security in avoiding a lawsuit if a spill goes unmissed. Slip resistant flooring comes in many different materials including vinyl, ceramic tiles and marble, so your flooring can still look fresh and stylish. You can also consider using splash guards and screens to contain more spillages.
Stairwell
On average, an estimated 1,000 major accidents occur in the workplace on the stairs each year, causing serious and sometimes unrepairable injuries. They are deemed to be a high risk area for users. To avoid a hefty payout, explore effective ways of lessening these accidents.
Avoid having steps or changes in level in busy areas. If it’s not preventable, establish noticeable signs or a change in colour. Another addition to consider is installing handrails for extra support for pedestrians if they lose their footing. The most effective measure you can put in place is incorporating anti-slip flooring material on the stairs, which is best to extend past the tread to the very end of each step. It will give you that satisfaction that safety is at the forefront. Continue to be sure stairs are kept clear of any contamination which could create further danger. Additionally, clear any obstacles that users could trip over.
For your ease, you can hire professionals to advise you on installing the most suitable slip resistant flooring that will meet your workforces needs. To maintain your slip resistant flooring, so it consistently meets anti-slip regulations, professionals can also conduct pendulum slip testing to measure the floorings efficiency over time. If you would like some more information or advice about slip resistance flooring for your premises, or to request a quote, please get in touch with the team at National Testing.