A mat-ter of fact


Jamie Woodhall, Area Technical Manager at Initial Washroom Hygiene, lets us know why floorcare really matters.


The UK has strict legislation in place to protect the health and safety of visitors to commercial and public buildings. As these buildings typically have heavy foot-traffic, maintaining the highest possible hygiene standards is essential.


Floorcare is an often overlooked but crucial component. Failing to keep floors clean can lead to slips, trips or falls, can harm an organisation’s reputation, and open up the potential for legal liability.


Floor mats


While selecting floor mats for your premises may not be top of your priority list, the practical and aesthetic benefits should not be ignored. These mats form a crucial component of any business’ health and safety strategy, and can reduce the number of accidents in the building. They also help to keep the workplace clean, reduce the spread of germs, and contribute to the wellbeing of both employees and visitors.


What’s more, placing floor mats around premises helps to demonstrate that health and safety regulations are being respected and adhered to, which can enhance the reputation of your brand.


Whether you’re deciding on a mat for your reception, service areas, or one to protect the floor beneath appliances such as water coolers, there will always be a mat to suit your needs. Here are the different ways in which a mat could benefit your business:


Making hygiene simple


Well-designed mats, laid in the most appropriate areas, can significantly reduce the amount of dirt and water tracked into a building, and improve the facility’s cleanliness by reducing unsightly water or mud marks at building entrances. This is especially important when there has been a period of bad weather. Place mats in areas which receive high traffic, such as entrance/reception areas, corridors, or in front of water coolers, to ensure maximum dirt is collected and your premises are kept clean.


Mats that use a high proportion of microfibres are the most effective as they can hold more water and dirt than standard mats. To put this in perspective, a single mat can absorb several litres of water and a few kilogrammes of dirt before requiring a service clean.


Health and safety


Mats help ensure facilities are fully compliant with workplace health and safety regulations. Initial Washroom Hygiene provides mats with a super styrene rubber backing which is wrinkle-resistant and guaranteed to remain flat and secure underfoot, as the backing reduces friction. For areas where spillages occur frequently such as pubs and


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bars, or in leisure centres and gyms, non-textile mats are recommended. This variety of mat reduces movement on wet, hard surfaces and minimises the risk of slips and trips, and therefore reduces the likelihood of injury to employees and visitors.


Employee and customer wellbeing


If you’re looking to boost employee or customer wellbeing and enhance their experience, consider anti-fatigue mats. These are designed to address ailments associated with long periods of standing on hard surfaces, including joint pain, backache and tiredness. This helps increase employee comfort and health, and in doing so increases concentration and efficiency.


Long-term protection


Choosing the correct mats to suit your requirements is important to protect and prolong the life of your flooring. In the long term, floor mats can be effective in trapping dirt, water and other substances from trailing into your premises, as well as preventing accidents.


It’s critical that managers do their best to enforce floorcare best practice – not only to enhance the premises aesthetically, but more importantly to protect visitors. Facilities managers should take the time to assess the profile of their business and functionality of different mats before choosing the ones which best fit their professional environment. Provided they’re laundered regularly, these mats can help to create and maintain a clean, safe and attractive work environment for customers and employees.


www.initial.co.uk twitter.com/TomoCleaning


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