LEISURE & RETAIL STEPPING INTO CHRISTMAS (SAFELY)
Shopping centres and retail parks are currently flooded with eager festive shoppers, but how do you minimise the risk of slips and falls in such high traffic environments, particularly with the weather against you? James White, Managing Director at Denis Rawlins Ltd, explains.
With the Christmas shopping season now in full swing, shopping centres and retail parks up and down the country are bustling. But from the wintery weather conditions to the increased footfall, the festive season can be a challenge for retail floorcare maintenance.
Poorly maintained floors are one of the main sources of accidents in retail environments. From wet, slippery entrances caused by adverse weather conditions, to food and drink spillages in high traffic areas, unmaintained floors are the cause of thousands of injuries every year.
These accidents can be very costly to a retailer or shopping centre owner, with the liable businesses shelling out over £500m per year in fines and healthcare.
However, despite the challenging conditions, retail floorcare doesn’t have to suffer during the busy winter months. Most slip and fall accidents are completely avoidable if proper floorcare is practised.
Preparation is key Having excellent cleanliness standards should be a given in all establishments, and when it comes to retail floorcare, it is more crucial than ever. After all, a slippery entrance way not only poses a threat to the customer, but it also gives off a poor perception about the cleanliness and safety of the overall establishment.
Ensuring that floors are free of dirt and contaminants can go a long way towards maintaining safety standards and preventing accidents from occurring.
A robust daily floorcare schedule will make sure that every day is started in the right way – with clean and risk-free floors. Daily soils need to be lifted away from the surface to enable a thorough clean. Using a method like high-flow fluid extraction eliminates the opportunity for soils and bacteria to build up on a surface.
If this standard of clean is carried out every day, there is little need for more comprehensive methods, like scrubbing and deep cleans, which are labour-intensive and costly.
Rapid response to hazards During the winter months, there are many instances that can cause unexpected floorcare hazards in the retail environment.
Whatever the source of the floorcare risk, the response should be quick and effective, to keep safety a priority, and disruption to a minimum. This means having a system in place that can quickly remove the spillage, leaving the area clean and dry.
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The best way to treat a spillage is through high-flow fluid extraction. This process uses fresh water and cleaning chemicals, uncontaminated by previous use, dispensed on the surface. It is then agitated if necessary to loosen soils, and suctioned away to leave a clean, dry floor in a matter of seconds.
Machines like the Kaivac Stretch are ideal for rapid response cleaning. Combining high speed push-behind cleaning for large areas, with a precision vacuum wand for smaller or grouted areas, this model can tackle any hard flooring challenge, as well as daily cleaning.
Thanks to its cordless battery capability, the Stretch SUV can address unexpected challenges, such as weather- related issues or spillages, quickly and safely, leaving a dry floor that is ready for immediate use.
The Kaivac Stretch SUV also offers far superior results than mopping, delivering a scrubber-drier performance, without the hassle. This machine is chosen time and time again to address rapid spill response due to its extreme soil removal technology.
Taking floorcare seriously We need to move away from traditional, ineffective practices, and commit to a robust strategy that not only removes the immediate risks of spillage, but also does a far better job of daily cleaning in retail environments. This way we can ensure the safety of customers, enabling them to enjoy their festive shopping experience, and return in the New Year.
www.rawlins.co.uk twitter.com/TomorrowsFM
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