FLOORCARE & MAINTENANCE
READY OR NOT?
As we approach winter and the inevitable onslaught of inclement weather, Steven Phillips, Managing Director of Bonasystems examines what facilities managers can do to reduce the increased threat of slips, trips and falls.
With the prospect of a harsh winter in store for the UK, building owners and managers are looking closely at the risks of slips, trips and falls due to increased rain and snowfall.
This issue affects nearly every organisation, ranging from retailers and hotels to schools, hospitals and railway stations.
Slips and trips cost UK businesses more than £512million a year and are the biggest cause of accidents in the workplace, with over 95% causing broken bones.
Despite this, knowledge of how to ensure floors comply with official standards for slip resistance is still not as good as it should be. For instance, many companies are unaware of or choose not to use the pendulum test (used by the HSE) as their way of testing slip resistance. Without these measurements, building owners can’t be sure of how safe their floors really are.
What’s even more worrying is that many so-called ‘experts’ are selling anti-slip regimes and treatments to companies that simply don’t work or, crucially, fail to meet the relevant standards in wet conditions.
So what should building owners and managers be looking for in terms of managing flooring compliance in-house or outsourcing it to an external provider?
Clearly, the type of floor is the starting point – polished marble will
60 | Tomorrow’s Cleaning November 2015
behave completely differently in the wet compared to a textured safety floor, for instance. It’s important to know the slip-rating for floors. If it’s not provided by the supplier or manufacturer, ask for it.
The type of contamination is also significant. For instance, oil and grease in a kitchen will be just as dangerous as water in the entrance of a shopping centre. Whatever the environment, the floors should always be tested for wet conditions and any potential supplier that claims otherwise is not likely to achieve compliance.
A suitable maintenance regime is one that is tailored to the floor surface, its uses and potential contamination. It is likely to include a daily cleaning regime that genuinely removes the contamination from the surface and leaves it properly clean and dry.
Building owners should be aware that some harsh cleaning equipment or products, as promoted by some companies, can exacerbate the problem. Incorrect floor pads, chemicals and floor scrubbers make floors more slippery by polishing the surface or by leaving a residue which attracts contamination. Unfortunately constant repetition of incorrect processes will over time lead to a film being formed and a measurable reduction in the slip resistance of the floor.
These methods are not fit for purpose and can actually cause long-term damage to the floor surface and
therefore reduce its life. What’s more, they actually make cleaning more difficult, leading to an increase in man- hours and an inevitable hike in costs.
Removal of the normal types of contamination and foot traffic soiling can rarely be done effectively by generalist chemical products and the use of traditional mops, which simply spread the dirt around more evenly. Daily cleaning should be supplemented by a more thorough monthly deep clean which takes the floor as near as possible back to its original condition.
The good news is that there are a handful of companies who are willing to give both genuine and impartial advice in this area.
Building owners should find one that will carry out a pendulum test or have a pendulum test done independently by a member of the UK Slip Resistance Group (
www.ukslipresistance.org.uk), who will do such tests in a manner that will be approved by the HSE and insurance companies.
They should also check regularly whether the slip resistance is being maintained and whether their cleaning regime really is fit for purpose in this regard. Knowledgeable partners in this field will always be able to give professional and reliable advice at a reasonable cost.
www.bonasystems.com
twitter.com/TomoCleaning
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