No place for slip ups

Slips and trips are an important safety concern when it comes to the design and maintenance of public and commercial areas, costing UK industry in excess of £500 million a year in compensation and legal fees.

While liquid spills and dust/dirt are recognised as clear hazards, the use of inappropriate cleaning agents or methods can be equally unsafe.

Expert slip resistance testing and consultancy firm CERAM has produced a free guide to the implementation of effective cleaning and maintenance regimes for slip resistant floors.

The guide outlines the fundamentals of effective cleaning regimes, advises on the use of specific cleaning methods and details the correct application of different types of detergents in regular use.

"The most slip resistant surfaces can become slippery if they are not maintained appropriately," comments Lisa Cobden, senior consultant at CERAM."In some cases the use of incorrect cleaning materials, or ineffective maintenance regimes, has cost organisations tens of thousands of pounds, often completely unnecessarily.

"We hope that this guidance document will provide architects, specifiers, installers and janitorial service providers with the necessary information with which to properly implement appropriate cleaning and maintenance regimes for the flooring that they are responsible for".

The free guide is available for download at www.ceram.com/slip