FOOD FO Are permanent non-slip solutions possible for the food industry?
The flooring in industrial facilities needs to be suitable for the activities being carried out. In many industries, particularly food and beverage plants, there is a regulatory requirement to provide a non-slip texture to prevent staff from slipping.
The non-slip performance of a flooring system can be assessed by the pendulum Coefficient of Friction test (CoF), which was adopted in the UK some years ago by the Health and Safety Executive, as a reliable and robust test for slip assessment. This is also known as the TRRL Pendulum test. A reading with a value greater than 36, defined as having low-slip potential, is easier to achieve in dry conditions – but many facilities, such as food processing factories, require at least this value also under wet conditions.
WHAT IS THE COEFFICIENT
OF FRICTION? Coefficient of friction is a measure of the degree of friction between two surfaces. Friction is the force exerted by a surface when an object moves over it – in this case, the staff walking across the floor. A low value indicates that the force required for slipping to occur is less than the force required when the coefficient of friction is high. Smooth floors can appear slippery when wet, however in practice, even though
18 | INDUSTRIAL FLOORING
a low CoF result is obtained, specially-designed resin floors can still provide non-slip resistance through their lifespan as they are subjected to wear because of aggregates within the matrix of a screed.
WHAT PROPERTIES OF A FLOOR
COATING AFFECT THE CoF? A rough surface provides more points of contact and increases the coefficient, thus reducing the tendency for slipping. Roughness can be obtained by using resin flooring systems with a textured finish. This can be achieved in a number of ways, most of which involve incorporating an aggregate in the resin matrix. This could be done by a manual scattering of a various amounts of aggregate into the wet coating applied to the floor – or equally, by incorporating an aggregate into an actual resin formulation, such that it produces the desired texture on the surface when the system is installed.
However, what is often overlooked is how long these flooring systems will provide a texture which gives a reading exceeding 36 in wet conditions, when tested with the TRRL equipment. The hardness of aggregates varies, and the softer the aggregate, the sooner it will wear down with use. For example,
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