Floor Mats As A Prevention Strategy

Floor matting selection and maintenance steps are an important part of any hard floor care program.

So much so that Cintas Facility Services created a nine-page white paper, entitled Floor Mats: A Key Component of Your Slip and Fall Prevention Strategy.

This white paper includes a number of hard floor care and matting use and upkeep tips.

Matting Zones

Exploring the concepts of slip and fall prevention in kitchens and restaurants, the white paper offers the following suggestions for breaking up a facility into matting zones.

• Entrance Zones
  According to the Institute of Industrial Launderers, 80 percent of dirt is tracked into a building from outside. Therefore, the essential first line of defense is to have maximum coverage at the entrance to absorb contaminants including dirt and water. The Carpet and Rug Institute (CRI) recommends that a minimum of 12 to 15 feet of mat coverage should be provided to remove 90 percent of tracked soil (or moisture). Mats should be placed at the front entrance, back doors, side doors and employee entrances.

• High-Risk Zones
  High-risk zones are areas with a high probability of attracting contaminants such as dirt, moisture and grease. These areas include transitional walkways such as from the bathroom to the hallway or walkways leading from the kitchen or dishwashing areas. Additional areas to consider include around ice machines and prep sinks in the back of the house. Placing mats in high-risk zones will protect the floors from becoming slick to help eliminate slips and falls.

• High-Traffic Zones
  High-traffic zones are areas with the most foot traffic. These include hallways and areas in front of time clocks, leading out of the kitchen and check-out stations. Properly protecting these areas with mats will reduce wear and track patterns and will also enhance your organization’s image and reduce housekeeping costs.

• Productivity Zones
  Mats protect floors, but they can also improve productivity. By using the right type of matting such as anti-fatigue mats or massage mats at work stations or customer service areas, you can help reduce fatigue and improve employee morale.

Safety Checklist

Next, the white paper offers this list of floorcare steps to help guarantee safety.

12 Steps to Safe Floors — A Checklist for floor safety

• Protect entryways
• Position mops for easy access
• Assign someone to overse the effort
• Clear exterior walkways
• Consider microfiber
• Protect high traffic and transitional areas
• Focus on puddle zones
• Increase mat rotation frequencies
• Educate staff
• Recognize star performers
• Deep clean.

Click here to download the full white paper.