When Altro invented safety flooring over 50 years ago, the demand for this revolutionary flooring product was borne out of the increase in litigation in the States, where people had slipped on the traditional floor coverings such as lino, smooth vinyl, ceramics and quarry tiles. Such accidents have continued to become increasingly common on both sides of the Atlantic, particularly in areas at risk from spillage of liquids such as toilets and kitchens.
There has been an ongoing push in the UK by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) to resolve the massive increase in slips and trips. And it's not just the youngsters in the care of schools who are at risk. Last year in the education sector alone there were almost 2,000 slip and trip accidents reported to the HSE which resulted in major injuries - that's five per cent up on the previous year. Almost 600 of these affected employees, including teachers, assistants and cleaning staff.
There are many areas in our schools which clearly require the installation of safety flooring to minimise the risk posed by the presence of liquids and spillages, such as showers, changing rooms, kitchens and dining areas. But these requirements are now expanding and the application of a duty of care can extend into areas that were once not deemed to be hazardous. Laboratories, general circulation areas where people can emerge from adjacent rooms where wet activities are taking place, and even entrance lobbies with inadequate or ill maintained barrier matting all pose a potential risk to building occupants.
Almost all slips happen on floors that are wet or dirty. If the floor covering has a smooth surface - tiles, smooth vinyl or timber - even a small amount of contamination can lead to an accident. Obviously good housekeeping is important for all the floor areas and can impact on slip hazards, but the type of floor covering used is also of high importance.
According to the HSE, the law requires that "floors must not be slippery, so as to expose any person to a risk to their safety" and schools have a legal duty to build safety into a design.
In all locations where the occasional spill may present a risk, even where floors may be wet after cleaning, a floor covering with a minimum Slip Resistance Value (SRV) of 36 is now clearly recommended. It is also necessary to specify flooring that complies with or exceeds this requirement throughout its working life if safety levels are to be maintained.
As you would expect, every safety floor leaves the Altro factory meeting this standard and is designed to maintain its slip resistance for the life of the product if properly maintained. This is something to bear in mind when selecting flooring; there is a huge variety of flooring materials on the market, many of which claim slip resistance at what often appear to be "bargain basement" prices. However, the factory finished coatings offered with some materials mean that their slip resistance is unlikely to last beyond a few months when subjected to the daily wear and tear of heavy school foot traffic.
Many people still associate safety flooring with the all over metallic sparkle present in the traditional slip resistant floor covering ranges. Most of you will be very familiar with this kind of safety flooring - in fact, you may have this kind of covering somewhere in your school. However, with the increasing importance of design and ease of maintenance, manufacturers have responded to the needs of customers by developing a new generation of safety flooring. Products such as Altro Suprema, Mirica and Timbersafe combine the latest Maxis, easy clean technology with stunning designs, without the need for sparkly metallic aggregate particles. This solution provides ease of maintenance, better stain resistance, a reduction in cleaning time and an aesthetic look that meets needs of modern, creative designers, whilst still ensuring that schools can meet the stringent demands on safety legislation.
For a free information booklet on slips and trips and Altro's full portfolio of interior surfaces, call 0800 018 2960 or visit www.altro.com. Further information is also available from the HSE at www.hse.gov.uk/slips/education/resources.htm#guidance
