Workplace safety is the number one priority of any employer and nobody would want to see their employees injured on the job. However, when working in an industrial-style setting, such as a manufacturing plant, warehouse or even a commercial kitchen, you might find yourself faced with unique safety challenges related to your flooring.

One way to make sure that your employees are protected from slip and fall accidents is to ensure that the floor surface of your facility is maintained to the highest standards. But, sometimes normal cleaning is simply not enough. The following are some of the common floor-related hazards that employers or facility owners must be aware of. You will also find flooring tips to prevent slip and fall accidents.

Wet floors can cause slip and fall accidents

As per various studies and surveys, falls and slips in the workplace are one of the most common accidents that cost businesses in the UK a lot of money in paying compensation and medical expenses. Having wet or slick floors can dramatically enhance the chances of accidents in the workplace. Floors with uneven texture or worn tiles are other lesser-known hazards.

Solutions:

 You must mop up spills immediately so that your employees do not slip and also there is no stain on your floor surface

 If you have uneven floor texture, you must ensure to even out the surfaces

 In case your floors are particularly very slick, you can consider installing a non slip floor coating

Damp or contaminated floors cause respiratory issues

The air quality of your workplace can be affected by your floors. If you have a concrete floor surface, which is damp, moisture collecting under furniture or equipment will encourage the growth of mould.

Mould spores pose a number of health risks for employees like, eye irritation, triggering asthma and respiratory infections.

You need to keep in mind that untreated concrete is a porous substance, and therefore, spilt liquids can easily seep into the floor where they cannot be mopped up. Concrete floor surfaces that have been compromised this way breeds bacteria and causes respiratory problems or even spread diseases.

Solutions:

 You can perform a moisture test to check whether you need a moisture-resistant floor coating or just a better climate control

 You can schedule routine deep cleaning so that your floor is thoroughly cleaned by professionals. This will make sure that your floor not just looks clean, but it is actually clean and free of bacteria and disease

Slippery floors cause severe injuries

With time, floors are subject to constant wear and tear, especially if the floor surface experiences heavy foot traffic on a daily basis. Additionally, there can be spills and various other reasons why floors turn slippery as the days go by. However, slippery floors are one of the major reasons for slip and fall accidents in workplaces. It also reduces the productivity of the workplace as employees and workers are extremely careful about how they are walking from one place to the other. Since they do not wish to fall down, they are taken measures to be careful, but constantly thinking that they may fall down is reducing their productivity.

Solution:

 You need to periodically schedule slip resistance test for your floor to find out if your floor surface is slippery. The preferred test in the UK is the pendulum slip resistant test. This test is recognised by the UK courts and is one of the widely used tests.

 In case the pendulum test deems your floor surface unfit and slippery, you need to consider applying a good non slip floor coating or other such anti slip floor treatments.

If you need more tips on how to make your workplace a safe space for your employees, clients, customers and all those who enter the building, speak to professionals.