FEATURE A BREATH OF FRESH AIR


Safety flooring is not just for preventing slips, trips and falls; it has a key role to play in improving air quality and enhancing wellbeing. Tom Mockler, Commercial Sales Director at Tarkett explains.


FLOORING FOR HEALTH The evidence is rightly pointing us towards an


increased focus on air quality in building product specification. Safety flooring is no exception – and while its main purpose is to prevent slips, trips and falls, consideration also needs to be given to how it will affect the air we breathe.


This is magnified when you evaluate the environments in which safety flooring is most frequently used. In hospital and aged care facilities, for example, patients and residents may be particularly susceptible to health problems caused by poor air quality. Educational establishments are equally important: as organs such as the lung and brain continue to grow until early adulthood, children and young people are acutely vulnerable to the effects of air pollution. It is in environments such as these that the right choice of flooring can make an impactful difference.


PEOPLE FRIENDLY SPACES As part of our philosophy of ‘Doing Good. Together”,


Tarkett is on a mission to bring real environmental and health benefits to the people that walk on our floors. It’s why we have been focusing on two initiatives in particular: replacing phthalate plasticizers in our vinyl flooring and reducing emissions from VOCs.


When you think of air pollution, what do you envisage? Perhaps you imagine a congested street with a steady flow of cars and exhaust fumes filling the air. The reality is, air pollution lurks inside too. In fact, indoor levels of pollutants can be two to five times higher than outdoors.


Many of us spend 90% of our time indoors, so the quality of the air we breathe is incredibly important. Poor indoor air quality affects people in many different ways. Not only does it contribute to the causes of asthma and allergies, but it can also result in poor concentration, fatigue and decreased productivity. Indeed, poor air quality is a key contributor to Sick Building Syndrome (SBS) – the name given to symptoms experienced whilst in a particular building.


One of the main culprits is volatile organic compounds, or VOCs. These gases can be emitted by thousands of products in our homes and workplaces, including some furnishings, paints, cleaning products and certain glues used to make carpets and flooring. High levels of prolonged exposure can trigger headaches, dizziness, eye irritation, fatigue and even nausea. Another possible offender is phthalates, compounds used to make plastics more pliant. Researchers have linked these to asthma; and they are classified by many countries as possible or probable carcinogens.


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To improve indoor air quality, we have invested significantly in the research of raw materials and flooring manufacturing processes to reach near zero emission levels. As such we are at the forefront of the industry in creating flooring with low VOC emissions, contributing to healthier indoor environments.


Our Safetred safety flooring is a prime example of this, with total VOCs levels 10 times lower than the most stringent European standards. We continue to focus on safer, healthier solutions to reduce emission levels across all of our products, for improved indoor air quality and a healthier quality of life.


We made the decision to use only phthalate-free plasticisers across all vinyl flooring production back in 2014, a decision aligned with our commitment towards sustainability and eco-innovation. As such, our Safetred flooring is phthalate free. The plasticisers we select have been approved for contact with food containers and are also used for toys intended to be placed in the mouth by children.


With considered approaches, it’s clear that safety flooring can contribute to healthier spaces that are good for people, and good for the environment.


www.tarkett.co.uk www.tomorrowshs.com


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