Now that autumn is in full swing, it’s time for businesses of all kinds to prioritise seasonal health and safety to ensure that employees, guests, clients and members of the general public aren’t put at risk when onsite.
Autumnal weather in the UK is notoriously wild, with plenty of wind and rain… and, of course, as beautiful as autumn leaves certainly are, they too pose an increasing risk to health once they start falling off the trees in their droves.
They can become incredibly slippery unless proper precautions are taken, so if you do have trees on the premises it will be necessary to clear any debris regularly to prevent slips, trips and falls when outside.
But it’s not just the great outdoors that you need to be mindful of and it’s essential that you prioritise health and safety within your buildings, as well.
Slip accidents easily happen at building entrances as people come and go, tracking rainwater, dirt, debris and mud in with them as they walk.
One potential solution to this problem is to fit a canopy over your building entrance to help keep people dry, but this won’t entirely eradicate the issue and what you’ll likely need to do is have barrier matting of some kind installed.
This kind of entranceway mat solution is highly absorbent, trapping dirt and moisture in the fibres of the mat so that shoes are dried off before they step on harder floor surfaces that can easily become slippery when wet.
The mats themselves have a textured surface (whether a looped material of some kind or carpet pile) that physically removes dirt from shoes. They’re also designed specifically to trap dirt and moisture so that it cannot be spread further into your building.
You’ll find them tough and durable, well able to withstand the rigours of inclement weather, as well as high volumes of traffic, so your investment will pay for itself in no time and you won’t need to replace your mats any time soon, with most products boasting a lifespan of between five and ten years.
The added benefit, aside from health and safety, is that you can help create a favourable impression on the minds of anyone visiting your place of business. People will certainly remember you for the wrong reasons if they come in and there are leaves and puddles all over the floor, after all!
And, of course, you don’t need to worry that you’ll compromise on the aesthetics of your business, as these mats can easily be tailored with your brand colours and logos, helping to create a cohesive look and feel throughout the space.
As for maintenance, barrier mats can help keep your site cleaner, so you won’t have to get the brush and mop out as regularly as you might do otherwise. Quite simply, the case for barrier mat installation makes itself!