One of the best ways to capture tracked-in moisture and soil is through the use of floor mats. However, using the right floor mat is important. Carpet mats are standard in many industries, and, if used properly, they can significantly reduce slips and falls. However, if not properly inspected or maintained, carpet mats can pose a significant trip-and-fall hazard. One of the leading causes of trip-and-fall accidents is a buckled, folded, or migrated floor mat, usually at a building's front entrance. If not secured to the floor, most carpet mats will, over time, move or flip up on their edge when pushed up against a wall or threshold. Carpet mats are also prone to buckle when compressed under a heavy rolling load like that of a pallet jack, heavy shopping cart, or delivery dolly. Because of this, carpet mats require frequent inspections to ensure that they do not pose a safety hazard.
Floor-Matting Applications
Appropriate size is one of the most important factors affecting the proper use of floor mats in places such as lobbies, vestibules, and building entrances. Floor mats must be large enough to be walked on because small door mats are often kicked aside or stepped over, thus preventing pedestrians the opportunity to remove soil and moisture from their shoes. Mats should be of a type and construction that prevents trip hazards and should be inspected often. If edge curling occurs, tape down the edges with pressure-sensitive tape or duct tape. Curled or buckled mats present a significant safety hazard and are often the reason for trip-and-fall lawsuits.
Although no formal research has been done as to how much matting is required to remove soil or moisture from pedestrian footwear, the floor mat industry has provided an estimate. The industry contends that it takes 12 feet of carpet matting to remove 80% of moisture or soil from pedestrian footwear. The National Floor Safety Institute (NFSI) is conducting a formal study on this subject that will soon be published.
It has been estimated that 85% of all soil enters a building on the feet of building occupants. Of this, at least 80% is dry soil, and the rest is oily. The dry soil can range from large particles to powderlike dust. The International Sanitary Supply Association or ISSA has estimated that it costs $600 to remove one pound of soil after it has been allowed to enter an average building. This cost is primarily in labor. Entrance mats stop and contain soil and water, and removing soil from a mat can be less expensive than removing it from a building since the soil is concentrated in a localized area.
An entrance mat should do four things:
1. Stop soil and water at the door. Most if not all mats claim to do this. The most effective mats provide a combination of scraping and wiping to stop the maximum amount of contaminants.
2. Store soil and water for removal. The most effective entrance mats are designed to provide a place for soil and water to go to for storage. It is important that the storage be designed for maximum holding and ease of removal when the mat is cleaned. It is also important that the mat provide a way for the contaminants to be contained so that water cannot spread to the surrounding floor, creating a slip-and-fall hazard. Mats with flat borders allow water to seep off the edges, thus increasing one's exposure to slip and fall.
3. Minimize tracking of soil and water. A bi-level construction that provides an upper surface for walking and a lower area where soil and water are stored until removed by cleaning best accomplishes this capability. The key to performance is the depth of the construction. Mats with a depth of at least an eighth of an inch permanently molded into the mat will contain soil and water away from the feet for maximum performance. High-performance mats maintain this bi-level construction permanently, thereby trapping large quantities of moisture and dirt and minimize the effects of soil and water being tracked further into the facility. Low-performance mats, such as those with ribbed or square-patterned face yarn, alone will not hold up under foot pressure, thus allowing water and dirt to re-attach to shoes and be tracked into facilities. High-performance mats have a reinforcing membrane that will permanently support the textile face throughout the mat's productive life, increasing product unity and extending useful product life.
4. Provide a safe surface. The mat should be slip resistant to prevent it from moving on the floor when it is walked on. In addition, any water on the mat should be contained in a reservoir below the traffic surface to prevent slipping on the flooring surface adjacent to the mat. Some carpet mats have cleated backings that enhance their slip-resistant properties and allow moisture to dry from underneath the mat. Never place a mat over a wet floor. When a mat is placed on a wet floor, it becomes like a surfboard and can cause the mat to slide across the flooring surface and in turn create a slip hazard. Entrance mats may also be scraper mats that provide the first line of defense against soil. Scraper mats should always be used with other entrance mats that will provide wiping properties to remove fine soil and water from the feet.
Matting Types
At present, more than 50 different types of floor mats are available commercially. The types of mats selected depend on the needs of the facility, such as climate, amount of inclement weather, and floor type. A list and description of the more popular types of mats follows.
Carpet Mats (Wiper Mats)
Carpet mats are an excellent choice to protect lobbies during wet weather. They are constructed of nylon or carpet pile and are available in various sizes. These mats effectively prevent tracking of grit, fine dust, and moisture. Because of their heavy backing, carpet mats lie flat without taping. A runner is simply a long carpet mat. While most carpet mats come in standard sizes, such as 3 by 5 or 4 by 6 feet, runners are usually 3 by 10 or 3 by 12 feet in size. The backings of carpet mats are usually made of rubber or vinyl to which rubber-backed mats offer greater slip resistance.
Link Mats
Link mats effectively prevent tracking of heavy soil but pick up little moisture. They are constructed of plastic, vinyl, or rubber and can be used either inside or outside the building.
Tire Mats
Tire mats are extremely durable and effectively prevent tracking of soil. They are made from old tire casings and are low in cost. Tire mats may be used inside or outside the building.
Scraper Mats
Rubber-based mats are designed to be used to remove hard soils from pedestrian footwear and are often used outside of entranceways. Although scrapers and wiper mats are used in the same application, their surface pattern and material will differ from one type to another.
Cocoa Mats
Cocoa mats are made of tough cocoa fibers. Because of their porous construction, they very effectively prevent tracking of soil and moisture.
Recessed Mats
Commonly used in front-entrance vestibules, these mats are installed into a shallow well or recess to eliminate an elevated edge. Recessed mats provide a nearly permanent
solution and are easily cleaned by simply lifting the mat from its well and replacing it. Recessed mats prevent both slips and falls as well as trips and falls.
Slip-Resistant Mats
Most often used in commercial kitchens, bars, or locations where workers are exposed to wet or contaminated floors, slip-resistant mats have an abrasive top layer and a rubber backing and come in various sizes.
Antifatigue Mats
Designed to provide comfort for workers who are on their feet for long periods of time, antifatigue mats are made of rubber or lightweight foam. Antifatigue mats are often used in commercial kitchen cooking areas and bars and behind cashier stands.
Carpet Tile
Used in entrances as well as vestibules, carpet tile offers the best of both worlds: safety and ease of maintenance. Carpet tile is used in lieu of hard-surface flooring and provides a maximum level of slip resistance. Carpet tile sales in America have dramatically risen, and it has become the industry standard for grocery and retail store vestibules as well as the health care industry.
Recessed Grated Mats
When is a mat not a mat? When it's a metal grate. Grated entrances offer the benefit of removing dry soils but do not always perform as well with migrating moisture. These "high-tech" materials require special installation to be recessed into the floor and allow dry soils to drop through the openings between the grates and collect below the walking surface.
Use by permission from, Falls Aren't Funny, America’s Multi-Billion Dollar Slip-and-Fall Crisis, by Russell J. Kendzior, published by Government Institutes, an imprint of Scarecrow Press. Visit http://fallsarentfunny.org/.
