'Invisible Janitors' Help Prevent Costly Slips and Falls

A visitor to a business in Virginia slips and falls on a wet floor and is subsequently awarded $225,000 by a Fairfax County jury after its owners are found negligent for not taking the right precautions to prevent the potential danger. Meanwhile, thousands of miles away, a jury in California awards $265,000 to a shopper who sustains a knee injury due to a fall caused by an improperly cleaned aisle at a supermarket near San Francisco.

As these two costly verdicts show, indoor slips and falls can occur anywhere. However, many of them could be prevented by taking advantage of modern day floor mats and services that promote safety by trapping and holding slip-causing elements deep beneath their surfaces and away from foot contact areas, says Robert Isaacson, Director of Marketing for UniFirst, a leading provider of uniforms and floor care products to businesses throughout North America.

"When Henry Ford introduced his Model-T, he said customers could order the vehicle in any color they wanted as long as it was black—and that's also the way it used to be with floor mats—one kind, one option," Isaacson says. "But that's no longer the case. Modern day floor mats come in different models, styles, sizes, and colors for targeted uses around buildings and—when combined—help create a complete 'floor care safety system' that can prevent dirt, grit, and moisture from turning floor areas into dangerous 'skating rinks.'"

The secret behind a "floor care safety system" that contemporary mats provide can be found in their individual, functional designs—the most evident of which can be seen in the "scraper" mat, which is literally step one of "the system." Scrapers are designed to be placed just outside building entranceways. With their noticeably heavy-duty, cross-patterned cleat construction, scraper mats remove a significant portion of dirt and water from the feet of visitors before they enter a building. Designed to work in concert with these outside products are "walk-off" mats, step two of "the system." Walk-offs are placed just inside entranceways to remove any residual soiling missed by scraper mats. Similar to today's automobiles, building owners can now choose their walk-off mats in an array of décor enhancing colors and can even customize them with their own company logos or messages, in virtually any design or color scheme of their choosing.

"Wet area" floor mats round out present day floor care safety systems and are aimed at providing the utmost in walking safety wherever interior spills can be anticipated. Likely areas include places where water, ice, or drink dispensers are located. Featuring literally hundreds of evenly-aligned funneling holes, wet area mats are designed to disperse slippery liquids beneath their surfaces where they can evaporate and not present a safety hazard. Wet area mats are also ideal for bar and kitchen areas where slip hazards can be commonplace; as an additional benefit they also have anti-fatigue qualities for anyone standing on them for lengthy periods.

Since accidental spills can occur anywhere, the final step in a safety-minded floor care system calls for use of scientifically and ergonomically designed wet and dry mops, Isaacson says. "Our UniFirst-branded cleaning products, by way of example, can make short work of slippery substances in virtually any interior environment because their synthetic and natural fibers provide for superior absorbency and are able to withstand the roughest of walk area surfaces.

Building owners or managers who might dismiss the possibility of ever facing an expensive slip and fall suit, should consider the fact the Consumer Product Safety Commission says more than one million people seek medical attention from hospital emergency rooms each year due to such accidents. What's more, the National Safety Council estimates that worker compensation and medical costs associated with slip and fall accidents amount to nearly $70 billion a year.

UniFirst, which is a leading supplier of work clothing and uniforms, also provides Facility Service cleanliness products to businesses of all sizes and types. UniFirst currently serves nearly 200,000 customers throughout the U.S. and Canada. For more information, contact UniFirst at (800) 225-3364 or visit www.unifirst.com.