Could your business benefit from safety flooring?

Although we often associate safety flooring with hospitals and schools, there are many other environments where safety flooring is required. Care homes are probably the most obvious example, with commercial kitchens, children’s play areas and accessible bathrooms other locations where safety flooring might be necessary. Here we take a look at some of the most popular types of safety flooring and the benefits of each.

Cushioned flooring

Cushioned flooring is frequently found in leisure and sports facilities and children’s play areas. It provides a cushioned landing for anyone who falls and can help prevent serious injury in some cases. Cushioned flooring is generally manufactured from tough vinyl, which means it is durable and easy to clean.

Non-slip flooring

Non-slip flooring is vital in a range of settings, especially where the floor might sometimes be wet. Bathrooms and sports changing rooms obviously spring to mind when talking about non-slip flooring, as these rooms can often have water on the floor, but what about all the commercial properties that have doors facing directly onto the street? In wet weather, it is all too easy for your floor to become a wet and muddy mess with slipping potential. Commercial kitchens are another example of where non-slip flooring can be extremely beneficial. Non-slip flooring can help put your mind at rest and prevent avoidable accidents on your premises.

Hygienic flooring

Flooring with anti-bacterial or anti-microbial properties is becoming increasingly popular and efficient. Such flooring often contains, or is coated with, a special antimicrobial component. This helps provide protection against bacteria, fungi, mildew and other elements by restricting microorganism growth.

Accessible flooring

It is vital for all commercial premises to be as accessible as possible to as many people as possible, which obviously includes wheelchair users, mobility aid users, and anyone who has difficulty walking. The type of flooring you install can have a huge impact on the accessibility of your premises; for example, going back to the non-slip flooring mentioned earlier, generic flooring types can be very slippery when wet – and even when dry in some cases. In addition to the type of flooring, you need to consider the joins in the flooring. Small ‘steps’ between different types of flooring might be barely noticeable to you but could cause a tripping hazard for someone with mobility issues or an impediment to a wheelchair user.