What is safety flooring?

What is safety flooring?

Safety flooring is a type of floor covering that is designed to provide safety and protection from slips and trips in high foot traffic areas that are prone to spillages. It's mostly made from vinyl mixed with silicone carbide, quartz and aluminium oxides.

Safety flooring can of course be used anywhere, but it tends to mostly be used in commercial premises.

Why? The Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations 1992 (Regulation 12) requires floors to be “suitable, in good condition and free from obstructions.”  Floors that are not suitable, in good condition and free from obstruction can result in slips, trips and falls – the most common workplace injuries.

Moreover, workplace injuries are also not only a major inconvenience to employees, but employers too. Employers could be sued large sums of money for workplace injuries.

Having safety flooring installed is one of the most sensible changes a workplace could make to reassure safety.

Safety flooring is most commonly used in:

Healthcare facilities

Doctors’ surgeries, dental practices, hospitals and care homes are likely to see chemical spills from medicines. This makes flooring particularly hazardous for those in such facilities who may be unsteady on their feet.

Animal care facilities

Veterinary practices, kennels, and animal rescue shelters are likely dealing with scared animals, some may not even be house trained. Flooring in these places must be able to withstand liquids while being quick and easy to clean in order to maintain a hygienic environment.

Pubs and clubs

The floors of pubs and clubs can quickly become swimming pools, with intoxicated customers spilling entire drinks or accidentally smashing glasses. Staff behind the bar are also at risk too, as they’re busy pouring drinks all night in poor lighting.

Sports facilities

There is a risk of accident throughout sports facilities, like gyms, swimming pools and changing rooms. These are humid environments, meaning that floors will quickly become slippery from sweat, showers or spilled water.

Commercial kitchens

Commercial kitchens are fast-paced environments. It’s almost guaranteed that liquids, foods and grease will easily find their way on to the floor. Flooring in commercial kitchens must be able to withstand these spills to ensure kitchen staff are protected.

Why is safety flooring ‘safe’?

By now you may be wondering what exactly makes safety flooring ‘safe’. There are a few great features which makes it safer than standard flooring.

Slip resistant

It only takes a small spill of water for flooring to become dangerous. But safety flooring has been designed to reduce slipping, making it particularly useful in the likes of bars, clubs, commercial kitchens and public toilets. It works by incorporating aggregates into a wear layer. When these aggregates are enough in number and quality, they can penetrate the wet film to provide contact with shoes.

Hygienic

Unlike standard flooring, safety flooring doesn’t absorb any spillages, meaning it can prevent build-up of bacteria, dust and debris. Some flooring products have Easy clean Technology which keeps the flooring looking good and saves time and money when cleaning. This feature makes it perfect for inside health facilities where hygiene is vital.

Durable

Safety flooring is also designed to last and survive the harshest of spillages, such as chemicals. It’s hardwearing, with an extremely high impact resistance, so it will survive premises with high foot-traffic too.