Safe floor design and risk management. More Grip No Slip! Agenda. Origins. Altro global markets

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1 Safe floor design and risk management More Grip No Slip! Presentation to IOSH Retail & Distribution Group 8 th July 2009 Agenda Risk management & responsibility Application to retail and distribution environments In summary Questions Origins Altro global markets 1919 The Adamite Company founded 1947 Welwyn Plastics 1955 Vynoleum: 1st Safety 1970s Autoglym 1982 Altro Walls 1984 Altro Resins 550 Group Employees

2 Safety Awareness Agenda HSE Slips and Trips Campaign Increasing awareness consequence of slips & trips Media head line grabbers Advertising no win no fee TEACHER WINS CHIP SLIP CASE A maths teacher is awarded 55,000 compensation after slipping on a chip outside her school canteen (BBC News Online, May 05) Case: Aileen Gilmour vs. East Renfrewshire Council Slips and trips in retail Slips & trips Cause more than 8,500 injuries a year Cost employers more than 512 million a year Most common cause of injuries in UK workplaces Slips and trips are the highest cause of injury in retail, in 2005/06 there were 1012 major injuries reported to the HSE. Half of those accidents happened in supermarkets and food stores. Sales assistants were found to be most at risk. In retail, more slips happen than trips and they are mainly due to: smooth cleaned floors being left wet spills not cleaned up quickly and effectively failing to keep the floor free from contamination. Over 36% of accidents that lead to injury are as a result of a slip or trip

3 Agenda So what is Safety flooring? Where does the name Altro come from? ALuminium TRiOxide (AL 2 O 3 ) Constituent parts of classic Safety flooring Altro Safety Flooring Smooth flooring is easy to clean but not slip resistant when wet Ceramic Safety flooring is slip resistant but the relief makes it difficult to clean PVC Safety flooring provides slip resistance the smoothness to make is easy to clean the roughness to provide slip-resistance, even with spillages

4 Agenda Precision assessment of slipperiness Ramp Test Slip Angle TRRL PENDULUM INTERPRETATION OF RESULTS Rating Pendulum Test Value (wet) High Slip Potential 0 24 Moderate Slip Potential Low Slip Potential 36 + These results are based upon work done by BRE in the 1960 s and supported by the experience of investigators and bodies such as the GLC over the last 40 years.. The Low potential to slip is based on the chance of a slip of 1 in

5 Increase risk PTV 36 = 1: PTV 34 = 1: PTV 29 = 1:10000 PTV 27 = 1:200 PTV 20 = 1:5 SURFACE ROUGHNESS Rz is the measure of surface roughness. Rz Source: Safer surfaces to walk on reducing the risk of slipping, CIRIA INTERPRETATION OF RESULTS Assessment of Slip resistance: The HSE Approach Rating High Slip Potential Moderate Slip Potential Low Slip Potential Surface Roughness Rz Below 10 μm μm 20 + μm The use of these values should always be in conjunction with the pendulum. The HSL has developed a software program called the Slip Assessment Tool (SAT) which uses surface roughness in conjunction with a series of questions to assess the slip resistance of flooring required for a given situation.

6 OTHER TEST METHODS The Ramp Test (DIN 51130) This test is used commonly outside of the UK and generates an R number which is related to the angle at which a slip occurs: R R R R R13 > 35 Note that are no R1-8 values and so R9 is in fact the lowest slip rating. Agenda Risk management & responsibility Risk factors for slip accidents Leaks, spillages and splashes Wet processes Rain & mud Airborne grease & oil in kitchens Dust and other dry contaminants Leaking roofs or pipes or condensation Unsuitable entrance matting Sloping surfaces Wet floors following cleaning Unsuitable footwear for floors Slips & trips In May 2007, the EU has instigated targets to reduce accident rates by 25% by 2012 (EC, Actions for a Safer Europe) Employers have responsibilities for the health and safety of their employees. They are also responsible for any visitors to their premises such as customers, suppliers and the general public. make floors, walkways, stairs, roadways etc safe to use (EU 89/391/EEC on health and safety at work) Safety and hygiene in the workplace (European directive 486/1997)

7 Safety & Hygiene Challenges in Retail Agenda Risk management & responsibility Application to retail and distribution environments Public areas Type of footwear Age range Behaviours Contamination of floor surface inevitable Safety, health and hygiene compliance Different micro environments with in store formats Entrance areas Produce & flowers Canopied entrances Trolley storage Barrier matting High risk areas Safety surface Anti-slip mats

8 Freezer and chill areas Behind meat, fish & deli counters Leaking freezers Condensation Spillages Wet Grease Hygiene Dry goods Food/drink spillages Transference of any contamination from the kitchen to restaurant floor Restaurants Warehouse & Distribution Easier to manage not accessed by public Roller shutter doors ingress of water on a wet day Good housekeeping

9 Agenda Risk management & responsibility Application to retail and distribution environments In summary Summary Store design can minimise risk Floor surface - fit for area The floor should be in a good condition so as not to pose a slip or trip risk Ramps and changes of level clearly indicated All walkway areas to be kept free from clutter Correct cleaning and maintenance programme Good housekeeping The Slip Potential Model Environment Floor material Slip/Trip Potential Contamination/ Obstacles Footwear Behaviour (people) Use Source: Safer surfaces to walk on reducing the risk of slipping, CIRIA Any questions?