Health & Safety regulations with regard to industrial flooring

What are the Health & Safety regulations for Industrial Flooring? The Health & Safety regulations for Industrial Flooring require that floors in a workplace must be safe from slips and trips. The Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations 1992 mandates that floors should be appropriate for the activity being carried out and free from obstruction, ensuring safe movement of people.

A floor must be safe to walk on without the risk of slipping, even if there is a spill. According to the HSE, slips and trips are the most common cause of injury at work, accounting for over 40% of all reported injuries to the public and causing more than a third of all major injuries. HSE statistics indicate that most of these accidents occur due to slips on contaminated surfaces such as water, talc, or grease.

Slips can be costly

According to the UK Slip Resistance Group, workplace slips and trips cost UK businesses an estimated £500m per year. Negligence fines can reach up to £10m, emphasising the paramount importance of flooring safety.

While anti-slip surfaces can aid in preventing accidents, maintaining a clear floor and promptly cleaning spills remain the best practices. The smoother the floor, the greater the risk of slips. Which makes reducing danger with anti-slip coatings and resins crucial in the workplace.

To determine the slip resistance of existing flooring, instruments like the pendulum test are available, providing accurate assessments of floor slipperiness.

Making stairs safe

Keeping stairs slip-resistant is crucial, as approximately 300,000 hospital admissions in the UK result from trips on stairs each year. By installing non-slip boards, staff and the general public can be better safeguarded, and this can be accomplished with ease.

Please feel free to contact us for more information Health & Safety for Industrial Flooring and about anti-slip flooring, boards and coatings.

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