Feet First: Best Practices To Ensure Safe Flooring

This article, including a sidebar on the latest innovations in floor markings, originally appeared in the June print issue of IMPO.

According to OSHA, slips, trips and falls constitute the majority of general industry accidents. They cause 15 percent of all accidental deaths, and are second only to motor vehicles as a cause of fatalities.

But just because flooring is constantly underfoot doesnt mean its also constantly top-of-mind. Many people give little thought to the flooring they work and walk on each day until an injury happens, says Chuck Haun, Director of Field Sales & Technology, Milamar Coatings, L.L.C., a company that specializes in the formulation and distribution of high performance adhesives and coatings. And while there are a variety of conditions that affect the friction on floors surfaces, says Haun spills being a major culprit the wrong floor type or coating can lead to defective flooring surfaces as well.

Construction Project

Concrete floors are ubiquitous in manufacturing facilities, but cracks, holes and deteriorated joints can compromise the safety of a facility. According to Wade Christensen, vice president of Niagara Machine, provider of industrial surface preparation equipment, many people fail to notice the hazards created by floors because their safety focus tends to be more on equipment. But oftentimes in the case of flooring, equipment damage is not the only consideration.

A spalled joint, one where the edges of the joint have started to break, not only can damage forklifts, but repeated heavy equipment traffic can actually worsen the problem, adds Niagaras Mike Trotta. But Trotta also points out additional problems created by concrete floor imperfections. Many facility managers are aware of the trip hazards created by cracks and holes in concrete floors. The problem is they fail to notice bacteria and dirt containment points that these flaws create. These collection points are a problem for any facility as they can collect dirt compromising cleanliness and production processes.

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Feet First: Best Practices To Ensure Safe Flooring