Floorcare: a winter concern your business should be preparing for now

Even with summer barely over, and the leaves only on the cusp of turning, winter will be upon us soon. With it comes a new set of risks and problems for your business. In order to minimise the chance of unexpected costs and potential operational threats, you should start making preparations in September and October.

As the nights draw in and colder, wetter weather approaches, more dirt and moisture is going to be brought on to your premises by people entering and leaving. This isn’t good news, not only because it looks unsightly, but also because it’s dangerous. Wet, dirty floors are a slip hazard which could result in serious injury for both staff and customers. 41% of workplace injuries are caused by slips, trips and falls.

In addition, as we go about our day, we collect dirt on our shoes and take it with us wherever we go. Your visitors and staff walk along busy streets where there are seagulls, pigeons and dogs that leave dirt, as well as other types of dirt including saliva, soil, grease, soot, hair and skin. If these remain on their shoes as they enter your building, they will create an unhygienic and potentially dangerous environment for your staff and visitors.

Adequate matting at both entrance and exit points, along with especially high footfall areas, will dramatically reduce the amount of dirt and moisture on floors, making your workplace cleaner and safer.

But there’s more to health and safety than simply ticking a box. Consideration should be made to how the mats will be maintained on a day-to-day basis, alongside the longer-term cleaning implications. Take the time to discuss various safety matting solutions to best suit your needs, and the needs of your customers. Consider fitted entrance matting, where damaged sections can be replaced by changing only the individual tiles and not the complete unit as with other systems, which reduces disruption which can look uninviting to customers. Alternatively try a stiff, scraping and deep pile mat which helps to prevent heavy deposits such as mud, snow, sand and grit, from entering your building. And you need to think about servicing too. On average an entrance mat absorbs so much material that it becomes ineffective after two weeks of use. Regular servicing will keep your mats clean, effective and most importantly safe.

Try these tips to help make your building a safer place to be.

Check your outdoor spaces. Are your walkways submerged under puddles? Are your paths boggy and muddy? Sprucing up areas outside your building entrances to help keep them clear will reduce the amount of dirt and moisture that even makes it your doorway.

Install entrance matting. Inevitably dirt and moisture will make its way over the threshold, and that’s where entrance matting comes in. At each point of entrance to your building, a mat is essential for removing and capturing dirt from shoes. To ensure these mats provide an effective barrier, they should be regularly and professionally cleaned.

Prepare for ice and snow. Once you have matting in place at every entry and exit point, prepare for any cold snaps this winter with either a gritting service or by purchasing a good stock of rock salt. Store it carefully, as it needs to be easily accessible when the time comes.

Wet floor signage. Not all dirt and moisture that ends up on floors comes from outside. If a spill does occur, make sure you have a procedure in place for dealing with it promptly. Display wet floor signage as soon as possible, and make sure you have cleaning supplies in stock to deal with it. Consider a hand dryer mat in your washroom, to solve the problem of slip hazards, particularly where high speed hand dryers are used, where water is blown off hands onto the floor.

For more guidance, advice or to request a full consultation, visit www.phs.co.uk or contact our experts on 02920 809098.