How to prevent slips and trips in the workplace

By Coral

Did you know that the most common cause of non-fatal injuries to employees is slips, trips and falls, on the same level? In fact, it accounts for 29% of all accidents[1]. As such, specifying solutions within a building that can prevent accidents is vital. Indeed, there are many ways to proactively avoid the possibility of slips and trips, but one of the easiest ways is to install an effective entrance flooring system.

An entrance flooring system will prevent dirt and moisture from entering a building, which in turn will reduce accidents and protect interior floor coverings. But that’s not all. The WELL Building Standard states that an entrance flooring system can also reduce pollutants entering a building, which will help to create a healthy and better indoor environment for all occupants[2].

While there are many solutions available on the market, Forbo Flooring Systems’ Coral collection has been the market-leader for over 50 years. Whether facing rain, snow, sand or soil, it keeps the outside from getting inside. Testing by Cleaning Research International has also shown that Coral can stop up to 95% of dirt and moisture from entering a building, with each m² of Coral able to remove up to 5kg of dirt or 6 litres of water, which in turn can reduce the time spent cleaning interior floor coverings by up to 65%.

Forbo’s Coral collection has also recently been updated. It now consists of four existing products: Coral Brush, Coral Classic, Coral Duo and Coral Welcome a colour refresh, as well as two new solutions: Coral Grip and Coral Interior.

Coral Grip is a robust dirt and grit remover for inside and outside use, ideal for areas leading to and from leisure or sports environments, while Coral Interior is a unique concept that completes an entrance flooring system. To prevent dirt and moisture from being tracked into a building, prolonging the life of interior floor coverings and reducing maintenance costs for end users, it is suggested that a three-zone entrance flooring system is designed – and this is where Coral Interior comes into play.

Available in eight colourways, Coral Interior has been developed for use in zone three, such as in reception and larger circulation areas upon entering a building. The innovative modular design, which comprises a mix of planks and tiles, can also be colour matched with other Coral products. And as there is no pattern, tiles and planks can be laid randomly to create a unique design.

The update now means that there are a variety of ranges to suit all applications and locations. For example, for projects that require minimal downtime and a quick turnaround, Forbo’s Coral Click range is the perfect solution; the interlocking mechanism of the tiles means that they can be simply ‘clicked’ together using a rubber hammer. Available in a selection of Coral Brush colours as standard, Forbo also offers a plain PVC tile, which can be used as a perimeter fill-in for matwells or as the initial matting where it will remove coarse dirt from the soles of shoes and treads of wheels.

For more information about Coral, please visit www.forbo-flooring.co.uk/coral 

[1] https://www.hse.gov.uk/statistics/causinj/index.htm

[2] https://standard.wellcertified.com/v6/air/healthy-entrance