IMPORTANT INFORMATION

In today’s evolving and increasingly competitive industrial environment, many businesses are feeling a new threat from “no win - no fee” type legal advisors and also from an increasingly claims conscious general public. With the proliferation of “bar room lawyers” many slip/trip/fall accidents are often followed by the comment, “I wonder how much this is worth”.

In many cases these people have genuine claims, nonetheless it is our duty as business owners and public servants to minimise both the risk to our employees, the general public and to our insurance companies. Indeed, many insurance companies are introducing hefty increases in premiums to accident-prone clients and, alarmingly, in some circumstances are refusing to insure what they perceive to be insurance risk or negligent customers.

Some basic steps can dramatically improve both the safety and appearance of most floors. Effective entrance matting is almost a necessity. A recent study in America found that proper matting (at least 5 paces long) will remove in excess of one kilogram of soiling per 1000 visitors. The cost to remove this amount of dirt is estimated at more than £800-£1000.

Dirty mops and buckets are yet another source of contamination. Mopping a floor with dirty equipment merely spreads the dirt over the surface. If not rinsed off correctly (and unfortunately this is often the case) dirty residues are left on the floors. When the water holding the solution evaporates it leaves the floor surface with a sticky coating of dirt combined with detergent. When water comes into contact with this residue, either through rain, spillages etc., it is this residue that causes the slipperiness.

This process of residues being left on the floors is made worse when scrubbing machines are used. The heat generated by these machines causes this dirt to polymerise on the floor. This bonding becomes even more difficult to remove, and over a period of time, the floor finish becomes increasingly dull and more slippery in wet conditions.

We can now offer a unique treatment to totally remove this polymerisation and at the same time dramatically increase the traction (dCOF - dynamic Co-Efficient of Friction) of the floor. With proper maintenance this new, cleaner, safer appearance can be guaranteed for 5 years.

According to two pieces of legislation - Health, Safety & Welfare Regulations 1992 (Reg 12) and Greater London Council Bulletin 43 (Item No. 5 March 1971 - Slip Assistance of Floors) we have a duty to ensure floors are not slippery.

How can we prove this?

If someone slips on one of our floors, how can we prove the safety if we have not tested the surface BEFORE the slip.

With the Non Slip 21 process we undertake to take readings of the floor every 13 weeks using a recommended instrument, either the Tortus II Microprocessor which is used in 21 countries worldwide, or the Wessex Pendulum skid tester. The results are then filed and a copy is given to the customer. The readings provide an historic record of the safety levels of the floor – a vital requirement in the event of litigation.