Slips cause thousands of workplace injuries every year, and we’re sure that they cause a similar number in domestic and other settings too. Although it might not sound like a big deal, a slip can cause serious injuries.
This is why it’s so important to do all you can to minimise the risk of anyone slipping in your workplace or at your premises.
According to the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents, slips and trips are the most commonly reported accidents for members of the public visiting workplaces.
However, it can be easy to overlook the risks or pass them off as “insignificant”.
Data from the Health & Safety Executive (HSE) in the UK highlights that the main cause of slips in the country is “flooring contamination”. This simply means that there is debris, water or even dust on the floor that causes people to slip.
The good news is that this is very easy to fix with the right approach to cleaning and the appropriate flooring. This is where entrance matting comes in.
In fact, the HSE even cites appropriate effective entrance matting as one of the ways you can reduce the risk of a slip occurring at your property.
How does entrance matting prevent slips?
First, and perhaps most obviously, entrance matting ensures that people coming into your building from outside, where it may be wet underfoot, don’t bring that water in with them.
This prevents water from being introduced to a surface that could otherwise be slippy, like a tiled floor. Even if that water doesn’t affect the person who brings it in, it could mean that others who follow them into the building are more likely to slip.
Second, it acts as a grippy surface on which to step when you first enter the building. This makes it less likely that someone will slip because they are navigating between two different surfaces.
For instance, EMCO entrance matting has been specifically designed to trap water, dirt and other debris as people enter a building.
Entrance matting doesn’t only capture water. It can also pick up dirt and debris like mud, fallen leaves and other items that could make a floor slippery. All of this helps to reduce the risk of anyone having a slip and injuring themselves at your premises.
Why is it important to have entrance matting to prevent slips?
Businesses in the UK are covered by various pieces of legislation that legally require them to take action to minimise the risk of injuries occurring at their premises. This includes injuries caused by slips.
The Health and Safety at Work Act 1974, The Management of Health & Safety at Work Regulations 1999, and the Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations 1992 all require employers or businesses to make provision to reduce the risk of slip-related accidents.
These pieces of legislation stress the importance of keeping floors in good condition and free of any hazards or obstructions – all of which the right kind of entrance matting can help with.