The First Facility Management Blog

Crown Mats and Matting of Fremont, OH, recently conducted an online study with questions for jansan distributors and other cleaning professionals. The more than 100 professionals who responded were asked to test their knowledge about high-performance matting systems.

Matting systems historically have been used to promote safety, but these items have also come to have a role in green cleaning. This is because they help keep outdoor soils and contaminants from being “walked in” to a facility, resulting in a healthier indoor environment and reducing cleaning needs.

One of the first questions asked in the Crown Mats study was “what percentage of contaminants are captured and trapped by a high-performance matting system?”. Fifty-five percent of respondents knew the mats are estimated to trap as much as 80% of the contaminants.

Another question asked the respondents to define the expression “Rule of 15.” Eighty-four percent knew it refers to the number of feet of matting needed at building entries to help keep contaminants out.

The respondents were also asked a number of questions relating to slips and falls and overall building safety. More than half knew it is estimated that 35% of workdays are lost each year as the result of slips and falls.

Nearly half knew that the National Safety Council estimates the average cost of a slip and fall in lost work time, worker’s compensation, and medical costs is about $50,000 per incident.

“This survey tells us that most of the respondents are aware of the environmental benefits of high-performance matting systems and how they can promote safety,” says Phyllis Lark, marketing manager for Crown Mats. “However, it also indicates more education [on these benefits] may be needed in certain areas.”

Below are all the questions asked by Crown Mats in this study…

Q. A factory worker working on a mat without resilience is similar to which of the following choices?
A. Trying to run in sand

Q. What percentage of “lost workdays” can be attributed to slips and falls each year?
A. 35%

Q. The National Safety Council estimates that the average cost per lost time Workman’s Compensation case, often the result of a slip, trip, or fall injury, amounts to:
A. $50,000

Q. How many people per day are hospitalized because of a slip, trip, or fall?
A. More than 20,000

Q. Crown Mats and Matting invented the market’s first walk-off mat:
A. 60 years ago

Q. What percentage of our nation’s workforce reports work-related foot or lower leg problems each year?
A. More than 80%

Q. Some studies report that a high-performance matting system can capture and trap how much soil and contaminants, preventing it from entering a facility?
A. About 80% or more

Q. The Rule of 15 applies to:
A. The number of feet of matting needed at building entries

Q. ________ occurs when there is not enough traction between the walker’s feet and the surface walked upon.  In this case, ________ is referring to:
A. A slip

With winter right around the corner, facility managers (fms) and service providers need systems in place to help prevent slips, trips, and falls, all of which escalate this time of year.

Recent studies report:

• 75% of all such accidents occur on the surfaces people walk on every day, such as building floors and entries, stairs, and sidewalks.
• The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) reports slips, trips, and falls constitute more than 15% of all accidents and are second only to vehicle accidents in causing fatalities.
• The National Safety Council reports that one in four visitors to an emergency room are there because of a fall, adding that many times a simple slip results in a trip, causing a fall, which lands the victim in the hospital.

Understanding Slips, Trips, and Falls

The first step in preventing slips, trips, and falls is to better understand what they are. According to Christopher Tricozzi, vice president of sales for Crown Mats and Matting, a matting manufacturer, the following best describes each incident:

• A slip occurs when there is not enough traction between the walker’s feet and the surface walked upon. This might happen when walking on oil, grease, ice, and other slippery substances.
• A trip happens when the walker’s foot contacts an object, such as a cord, wrinkled carpet, or uneven flooring, which causes him or her to become unbalanced.
• A fall occurs when the walker loses his or her balance. Once someone loses footing and support on any surface, a fall is likely.

Fortunately, fms and service providers can take three simple steps to help minimize the chances of an injury.

First, immediately remove items, such as ice and moisture, which might result in an accident. Second, increase cleaning frequency around major entries during winter months, ensuring that these areas are clean, dry, and safe. Finally, install high performance matting systems.

A high performance matting system typically includes a total of 15′ of scraper, wiper/scraper, and wiper mats that can trap up to 80% of all soil and moisture coming through the front door. Not only is this safer for building users, but it helps keep facilities cleaner and greener during the winter months as well.