In the working environment, there are three important
considerations to health and safety underfoot: slip-resistance,
comfort and exclusion of external dirt.There are cost effective
solutions to all three, as architect Christopher Sykes explains

The science of interaction between floor
and shoe is not difficult to understand.

There are certain caveats which any
informed buyer will know: ceramic may look
good but can be dangerous when wet; floors
– all floors – and oil don’t mix; standing for
long periods on cold concrete will damage
your body; suddenly changing level by 3cm
can kill you. It’s pretty simple stuff really, yet
in the UK Slips and trips account for about
20% of all recorded accidents.

Anti-slip
Production lines are key areas for
consideration.Here, operatives are required
both to stand still and to walk up and down,
so comfort and safety underfoot are essential
for efficient and safe working conditions. The
same applies to machinery and control
equipment operatives because they need to
concentrate and remain alert at all times. Spilt
oil, chemicals and water can prove lethal.

The solution is to use a high performance
slip-resistant matting which has a deeply
etched surface to provide the grip required,
while the open grid will drain away spillages.

At the same time it gives that resilience and
bounce which takes away the ‘pain’ of standing
on a hard, cold floor. Such matting is not only
easy to lay and relocate but can be cut on-site
to fit around benches and obstructions.

Andrew Marwood,Howco Group’s
engineering and manufacturing director,
comments.”Because of our heavy engineering
processes, there is constant use of cutting oil.

Inevitably, this used to create a problem with
slippery surfaces, particularly near the work
benches and around machinery.We found
that heavy duty, slip-resistant matting, in our
case Vynagrip (from Plastic Extruders), proved
to be the ideal solution, making the
environment much safer and cleaner to work
in.Management and employees are delighted.”
Anti-fatigue
Tiredness is equally a safety issue, not just
when driving or operating dangerous
machinery but from simply standing behind
a work-bench. This has proved to be the
cause of progressive bone damage, varicose
veins, poor circulation, water retention and
back problems. As a result, the TUC is
encouraging the increased option of sitting
and, particularly, the wider use of high
performance matting with the appropriate
degree of cushioning.

The ideal anti-fatigue matting offers
important health benefits, such as comfort
underfoot, good slip resistance and thermal
protection from cold floors. The resilience of
the matting represents the ‘bounce’ it gives to
anyone standing on it and this directly affects
the level of standing fatigue and, in turn, safety.

Thames Fruit, distributor of citrus fruit to
supermarkets, is an example of a company
reaping the benefits of anti-fatigue matting
modules in its packaging department.

Importantly, the individual modules ensure
that employees are less tired and that strain
on the body and back is relieved. As the areas
are refrigerated to prolong fruit life the
matting also insulates from the cold floor
which further reduces fatigue.

Anti-ingress
Safety is also influenced by the amount of
dirt which enters a building. Twin enemies
are dirt and water. Precautions need to be
taken to reduce the quantity coming in by
judicial use of high performance entrance
matting systems to scrape, clean and dry
shoes and boots.Whereas it was once a loose
piece of coir mat, today, it can be primary
barrier, often external, and then secondary
internal barriers that do the real dirty work,
reducing maintenance and slipperiness.

Health and safety in general and floor
safety in particular is no longer an arbitrary
knee-jerk decision – it is as
vital to the performance of the
plant as it is to the
performance of the employee.

In these days of potential
litigation, it is also vital to the
bank balance, reputation and
viability of the business.

Further information is
available from Plastic
Extruders, a leading
manufacturer of safety,
anti-fatigue and others
mattings for many
different purposes.