IN her thought leadership essay elsewhere in this issue, Louise Walters, commercial director of Designer Contracts, points out that ‘where a project demands rubber or safety flooring, it might be that savings can be made by using slip-resistant alternatives only where required. Similarly, specifying heavy-duty safety flooring in low-traffic areas where a commercial vinyl suffices is another potential saving’.
Because of the economic circumstances in the UK – a flatlining economy, stubbornly high inflation, a government that isn’t squeamish about taxing businesses – the cost pressures in commercial flooring projects have been immense across the board. The good news is that accurate specification can cut waste without negatively affecting performance and compliance.
Accurate specification of safety flooring is a factor here, particularly the heavy-duty variety which is a specialised type of resilient floor designed to ensure long-term slip resistance, toughness and hygiene in installations where these things are important – hospitals and medical facilities, wet-rooms, kitchens and food preparation areas. Anywhere people are at risk of slipping, it’s a good bet you’ll need safety flooring.
What are the qualities that make heavy-duty safety flooring fit-for-purpose? It typically consists of polyvinyl chloride (PVC) or similar resilient materials, often in a multilayer construction. Strength and stability are provided by the base layer; the top layer has a high concentration of slip-resistant particles sewn throughout the wearlayer as opposed to just superficially.
Hard minerals make up these particles (aluminium oxide, silicon carbide, quartz) and because they’re spread throughout the depth of the wearlayer, the floor continues to be slip-resistant even as it wears over time.
But the surface of safety flooring is crucial, for obvious reasons. A surface that’s textured or embossed will improve grip but contractors need to ensure it’s not so rough that cleaning is a challenge. Fortunately, modern advances mean that isn’t too much of a problem: manufacturers today are able to achieve high-slip resistance while keeping their products smoother and easier-to-maintain.
As with most specialised products, the flooring needs to be tested and rated for slip resistance under wet and dry conditions, this is obviously particularly the case with safety. What indicates a low risk of slipping? In simple terms, achieving an R10 to R12 rating under the DIN 51130 ramp test, or a Pendulum Test Value (PTV) of 36+ in accordance with UK standards. If your installation environment is exposed to areas with water, grease, or chemical spills, this is particularly crucial.
How does safety flooring differ from, for example, standard commercial vinyl? It’s usually thicker and denser for starters, often by as much as 2mm or more and may include a reinforced backing for extra dimensional stability. Indeed, areas frequently exposed to water, grease or other contaminants could make ordinary vinyl slippery, which means using safety flooring in high-risk areas is sensible risk management as it will protect users and cut the risk of accidents in demanding commercial environments.
Sometimes, safety flooring isn’t a choice – its essential. Think of changerooms, food prep areas, hospital corridors and accessible bathrooms. In these locations, installers need to be aware of safety compliance and legal obligations.
Avoiding using safety flooring for whatever reason could ultimately cost a lot of money and cause injuries or worse. Talking of money, there are naturally cost implications for using safety flooring. If you were to install standard commercial vinyl in a low-risk, low-traffic zone, you might supply and fit at a certain price per metre.
On the other hand, when specifying high-grade safety flooring, the material alone could often be more expensive and very much so in the industrial category when additional labour and maintenance savings overtime are tallied up. So the decision ultimately hinges on aligning the floor specification with actual risk and usage – overspecification means higher cost today with limited added value.
Flipping the idea of essential safety flooring on its head is the problem of over-specification. In layperson’s terms this refers to installing heavy-duty safety flooring at the drop of a hat in order to secure your peace of mind. However, this isn’t always justifiable or cost efficient.
As discussed, heavy-duty safety flooring is engineered for certain environments where contaminants are regularly present. But there are more general areas such as corridors, classrooms, or offices which are actually fairly low-risk and would perform adequately with standard commercial vinyl or a safety-light option such as typically R9–R10 (slip-resistance ratings, part of a European testing standard (DIN 51130) used to classify how slippery a floor surface is when contaminated).
In addition, over-specifying introduces practical downsides. For instance, safety flooring is rougher underfoot and harder to clean – additionally it can sometimes appear slightly duller than standard vinyl. When used in front-of-house areas, that could detract from the aesthetics. Stronger adhesives are also a feature of laying safety flooring which could prolong installation times and increase labour costs. The result is that over-specifying heavy-duty safety flooring doesn’t necessarily make the building safer – just more expensive.
Over the years, CFJ has run fascinating case studies on safety flooring and its use, and these are well worth reading to give an idea of where safety flooring works well.
Products from F Ball and Co have been used to install vinyl safety flooring at the Great Western Railway train depot in Penzance. The company’s Stopgap F77 waterproof surface membrane, Stopgap F78 waterproof surface membrane, Stopgap 1200 Pro smoothing compound and Styccobond F46 vinyl adhesive were used to create what’s described as an aesthetically pleasing floor finish that will stand up to many years of tough conditions.
John Hudson, managing director of Contract Flooring, commented: ‘We always use F Ball products and often work very closely with our local F Ball representative. We’re very pleased to say that, as expected, the range of F Ball products that we used at the Great Western Railway depot enabled us to create an aesthetically pleasing, durable floor finish of vinyl safety flooring.’
St George’s Health and Wellbeing Hub in Hornchurch, Essex, brought together a range of health and care services under one roof. More than 5,000sq m of flooring products from Gerflor were specified, alongside Gradus entrance matting and stair-nosings as a complete solution for the healthcare community building.
Gerflor’s contribution to the project included its highly specialised Mipolam EL7 permanent dissipative flooring, Taralay Impression Compact heterogeneous floorcoverings, and Tarasafe Ultra Safety Vinyl. These products were installed throughout the building, covering areas such as clinical spaces, consulting rooms, dialysis and renal units, as well as toilets, bathrooms, showers, corridors, and stairs.
Entrance flooring and stair safety were also a key consideration for the project.
And high performance floor preparation products and adhesives from F Ball were used to install safety flooring as part of the transformation of Tavistock Place, the main undergraduate building at Plymouth College of Art, into an inspiring learning space. The refurbishment took place during the summer break, meaning a quick turnaround to upgrade the campus gateway for staff and students was required before the new academic year commenced.
Specialist F Ball products enabled contractors to install safety vinyl sheet and carpet tiles, using Styccobond F49 Hybrid PS adhesive and Styccobond F41 carpet tackifier, respectively, in the independent art school’s reception, gallery, café bar, offices, and conference rooms.
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