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LEGISLATION


“Slight changes in floor cleaning and maintenance regimes can reduce


slip accident risk from one in two to one in 1,000,000.”


We advise companies such as major supermarket chains, leading hotels and leisure centres on slip prevention. Nine times out of ten, we find that it’s not the floor specification that is causing the most problems – it’s actually the cleaning and maintenance regimes which have the biggest influence over whether a floor is safe or not.


For example, we work with one of the largest commercial property development companies the UK. When we tested their floors, we found that 67% of their floors did not achieve the HSE slip-resistance benchmark of 36+ wet PTV but that 87% of these issues could be solved through specialist cleaning regimes.


So what should those in charge of cleaning be doing now?


Our advice is to first make sure that your company is using the correct industry standard for measurement. In this case, the pendulum test (which replicates the point at which a pedestrian heel strikes the floor) is the only method recognised by the UK courts. If you’ve not had a pendulum test done recently, we’d recommend strongly that you do so.


Secondly – test, test and test again. A slip test only captures a moment in time and the slip resistance of floors change and degenerate over time unless maintained properly. It’s important that those in charge of cleaning undertake a regular timetable of testing to assess what effect cleaning and maintenance is having on your floor surfaces. Don’t ignore any red warning flags – if you end up in court, this will be taken into account.


Thirdly, test for both wet and dry conditions. And an important point here – there are some third party cleaning companies that only test


www.tomorrowscleaning.com


in the dry – do not be taken in. Wet conditions and foot soiling are inevitable in areas of high traffic. It is essential that you base your slip resistance calculations on how your floor behaves on a wet weather day, not a dry one and then you can be much more confident of floor safety.


Fourth, know your floors. Be aware of the way floors behave under certain conditions. It’s obvious, for example that a kitchen floor will have to stand up to different contaminants (usually oil) compared to a train station. Make it your business to find out about the profile of your floors (how rough they are) in different areas of buildings. Their slip resistance can change dramatically depending upon the material used and how they are affected by spillages.


Finally, throw out your mops! Yes, that’s right – so many companies still use the old mop and bucket routine, but unfortunately this just has the effect of spreading dirt, rather than removing it. The risk is that dirt builds up within the profile of a floor, making it much more slippery and dangerous, often without the owner knowing it.


If that sounds daunting, call in external help. A qualified slip risk expert should be able to assess any given environment, say a hotel, and give you an independent assessment of the higher risk areas and an action plan for solving any issues. The actions could be anything from a deep clean of the area, training for your staff or contractors on best-practice, use of machines and flooring chemicals or the use of different floor products altogether.


Our experience is that slight changes in floor cleaning and maintenance regimes can reduce slip accident risk from one in two to one in 1,000,000.


Cleaning managers and operatives should be under no illusion that the new sentencing guidelines are a serious shot across the bows for companies. But with the right partners on board, good cleaning regimes and advice, they can feel more confident of staying whiter than white.


www.bonasystems.com Tomorrow’s Cleaning Floorcare Supplement | 17


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