Proper Floor Matting is Essential to Worker Safety and to Prolong the Life of Your Floors

Feb 18th 2022

Proper Floor Matting is Essential to Worker Safety and to Prolong the Life of Your Floors image NaN

Installing protective floor matting in your facility can make a huge difference — it can improve employee production, keep workers and customers safer, and even prolong the life of your concrete floor. This article will look at a variety of types of floor matting.

Anti-fatigue floor matting can play a major role in keeping your employees alert and healthy, which will improve their performance as well as their morale. Whether in food prep areas, a retail space, or a factory, workers who are required to stand in one place on a concrete floor can suffer muscle fatigue starting in their feet and legs and then creeping up to their back and neck A fatigued employee is going to be less productive, more likely to miss work, and more prone to job-related injury. Anti-fatigue matting provides a softer surface to stand on. This encourages micro-movements, which in turn brings about better circulation throughout the body and helps eliminate muscle fatigue.

Take a stand against slipping

Installing anti-slip floor mats can help significantly cut down on slips and falls, which are one of the most common causes of workplace injuries. While people do fall from heights, the majority of slip and fall accidents are same-level incidents and can lead to long-term work absence and even permanent disability. By installing an anti-slip flooring, you can protect your employees and help protect yourself in case of a negligence lawsuit.

The best industrial mats, like those available from Watco, combine anti-slip technology with anti-fatigue material, which adds another layer of protection. Water or other liquid will run through the matting onto the floor, while the mat provides the worker or customer a safe place to stand.

These mats are useful in almost any facility. In food processing plants, for example, it allows debris and moisture to slip through, keeping the surface safe to walk on. If it’s snowing outside, people are bound to track it in and then stomp it off their shoes. Again, your mat can let the snow melt and go through to the floor.

Along with that, it protects the floor from the effects of traffic and dirt from vehicles (such as forklifts) as well as humans. Even if they are not necessary in the entire facility, these mats are a great addition to a heavy traffic area. Many businesses already have an anti-slip floor mat in their entry way – if this is in your building, you’ll notice it keeps your floor clean as well. Imagine how much difference it can make if used throughout the building, or in areas that see heavy traffic or moisture.

Get more from your floor

Along with that, the right type of matting can prolong the life of your concrete floor coating, as it can protect the floor itself from damage through chipping, staining, or scratching. The mats are designed from tough materials that can stand up to a high level of abuse. Most entrance floor mats are slip proof, but they also hold dirt, moisture, and other debris brought in from the outside. This helps keep your floors clean and in good condition, which means less time out of service for repaint or repair.

Grease isn't the word

Depending on the kind of traffic you have over the floor — say you’re an auto repair shop — you may want to look into a mat with extra resistance to chemicals, grease, and oil. While many floor mats inherently possess this property, some are designed specifically with these qualities in mind.

It will be important to clean your commercial floor mats, as well as the floor underneath. The mat can be cleaned with a pressure washer, soap and water, or a variety of neutral cleaners to make sure they maintain their color. Once dry, the matting can be put back in place.

Take it to the mat

Watco has the industrial floor matting you need! Its industrial quality commercial kitchen safety matting is available in a wide variety of sizes great for increased safety in your restaurants, kitchens and food processing areas. The anti-fatigue and anti-slip properties relieve strain and ensure safety for all employees.

Watco’s oiland grease resistant safety matting is specifically made for greasy or grimy areas. These industrial floor mats are great for automotive garages, manufacturing facilities, construction sites and many other areas, and create a less hazardous workplace. Ask your Watco rep to help you find the matting that’s just right for your facility.