Floor Mats: Your Slip and Fall Prevention Strategy
It just takes one second of the day, one quick slip, to potentially send an employee or guest to the hospital and land your business with an expensive lawsuit or rising insurance premiums. The National Safety Council estimates that more than 25,000 slip and fall accidents occur every day in the United States. Ranking second to motor vehicle crashes as a leading cause of accidents and injuries, slips and falls are easily preventable. So ahead of the snow and sleet, make strategic decisions to make your floors safe and professional looking with mats.
Two factors usually contribute to a slip and fall accident: unsafe conditions and a general unawareness of potential risks.
Proper training of staff can help raise their awareness of dangers within their workspace as well as teach them to recognize potential dangers and respond accordingly. In order to create safer working conditions, it is important to develop a matting program that complies with OSHA standards.
Since excess moisture, grease and dirt are the three primary contributors to most slip and fall accidents, identify potential areas where these materials enter or gather so you can start to see logical places where matting should go. First step is to put out the welcome mat. An entrance mat can be an important first line of defense against slips by removing moisture from footwear. The second step is addressing high-traffic zones including hallways and areas in front of time clocks should also be properly protected to reduce wear, housekeeping costs and stop hazardous accumulation from outdoor conditions. Finally, identify high-risk zones where floors have the potential to become slick, or areas where team members may be moving quickly and stop suddenly.
Now that you know where to put your mats, which mat or mats work best? Look for mats with high-traction backing to prevent movement and bunching up. Mats without proper backing are prone to movement or “migration,” which can contribute to a slip and fall.
Proper maintenance of your mats not only protects your investment in workplace safety, but also helps them do their job. Proper cleaning prevents the mats from curling or acquiring so much dirt that they have an “ink pad effect” and spread contaminants across a facility, or worse, become a hazard themselves. Laundry service providers (like SITEX!) are able to inspect the mats for tears and other damage while removing dirt, grease and other contaminants from the fibers.
While floor mats can play a key role in your slip and fall prevention strategy, they can also be a potential hazard if they are not placed in the proper location or are not regularly maintained. For a customized plan that fits your business needs, check out our product catalogue or contact us today!