Entrance Matting: An Essential For Commercial Spaces
Making sure your visitors are safe when entering and exiting your premises is necessary for any business. Someone suffering an injury at the hands of a wet floor can cost you thousands in compensation, much more than the cost of investing in proper entrance matting. Entrance matting provides an anti-slip surface for people to walk on when entering and exiting a building without taking their life into their own hands!
Adequate entrance matting is essential if you want to keep your floor clean and dry and protected from wet and muddy footsteps but knowing which type of mat you need can be difficult. Depending on your building type and how much foot traffic comes in and out of your premises, many options are available to you. You must ensure that your entrance matting is big enough and provides enough moisture absorption for your requirements. We’ve gathered all the essential entrance matting information you need to make the right decision about the kind and size of mat you need for your premises.
What is Entrance Matting?
Entrance matting is important to any commercial building's health and safety management. No one wants to walk into a building and slip over. But entrance matting can be the difference between a nice leisurely walk into a building and meeting an unexpectedly wet and slippy floor. Entrance matting should be installed anywhere where there is an external entrance/ exit to a building or on flooring that has the potential to be a slipping hazard, such as a public bathroom. Effective entrance matting should prevent the risk of slip trips and falls associated with wet, soiled, or uneven walking surfaces, typically on hard flooring.
Why is it so Important?
Proper entrance matting is a legal requirement for any public building. According to British Standards, entrance matting is essential to all buildings used by the public. Their code of practice (BS 7953) states clearly that “the ingress of soil and surface moisture… should be reduced to the lowest practicable levels, e.g. through the use of appropriate entrance flooring systems”. The only way to do this is through sufficient entrance matting next to all entrances to a commercial building and any doors leading to hard floors where there is the potential for a slip hazard, e.g., washroom facilities.
- Approximately 1,300 injuries a year occur as a result of wet, contaminated, or uneven flooring.
- 80% of these injuries occur as a result of slips on wet floors, which come as a result of either no or inappropriate entrance matting for the level of footfall.
Not only does entrance matting prevent you from having to pay out in insurance claims and compensation, but it also does a lot to boost the appearance of your commercial property and protect your flooring. Did you know that 70-85% of dirt is brought in from outside through footfall alone? The entrance of your building is the first thing people see when they arrive, and this can leave a lasting impression. Having dirt and debris and muddy footprint across the floor as a result of poor entrance matting can give them the wrong impression about your premises and even your business.
What is Entrance Matting Made of?
Most entrance mats are primarily composed of Nylon. This material is great for entrance matting because it is synthetic and durable, acting as an excellent surface for scraping of dirt and water from shoe soles. There are also rubber anti-slip floor mats which are ideal for preventing slip accidents from occurring. These are ideal for washrooms and underneath handryers where water can accumulate and potentially become a slipping hazard. They also have anti-fatigue properties making them comfortable to stand on, and their robust structure makes them able to withstand more footfall.
The Two Types of Entrance Matting
When it comes to entrance matting, there are two options you need to consider. It is not a case of choosing one or the other, but rather, where you should install each type to ensure maximum slip resistance and cleanliness. The two types of entrance matting are primary and secondary. They both serve an important purpose in reducing the appearance and moisture on your floor.
- Primary - this type of entrance matting is found at the entrance to a building. Its purpose is to remove dirt and moisture from the bottom of shoes and from wheelchairs to limit the amount of moisture being carried onto the secondary matting.
- Secondary - this is to be installed internally and is most effective when used in conjunction with primary entrance matting. It should be as wide as the entrance doorway and extend at least 2 metres in the direction of the foot traffic, or longer if there is more footfall.
What to Consider When Choosing Your Entrance Matting
When choosing the right type and size of entrance matting for your building, you need to take into account the level of footfall your premises receive on a daily basis and the kind of industry you are in. For instance, the food and drink industry has a particularly high injury rate due to slippage, therefore, requires more anti-slip matting.
How Much Entrance Matting Do You Need?
The guidance around entrance matting is a minimum of 2 metres. However, no two buildings are the same, so this may not always be enough to perform well. According to the Entrance Flooring Systems Association, they suggest:
- Entrances with low foot traffic require a minimum of 3-4 metres
- Entrances with medium foot traffic require at least 6-7 metres
- Entrances with high foot traffic, a recommendation of 8-20 metres
Incorporating Branding Into Your Entrance Matting
Entrance mats already have many benefits for cleanliness and safety, but they can make the entrance to your building look a little dull. One really great way of brightening up your entrance matting and getting another use out of it is by incorporating your company’s logo and branding. By opting for a personalised entrance mat, you can advertise your company while ensuring the health and safety of those entering and leaving your building.
There are many benefits to adding your logo and branding to your entrance matting, including increasing brand awareness and making your brand the first and last thing people see when they visit the building. Not to mention, they also look professional! Keeping your entrance mat branding simple with just a logo can be one of the most effective ways to make your brand stand out and be more memorable.
Cleaning & Maintaining Your Entrance Matting
Entrance matting does everything to ensure that dirt and moisture aren’t tracked onto your building’s flooring, but this doesn’t mean they should be neglected. Depending on your building’s level of foot traffic, your entrance matting can soon build up with excess dirt making it less effective at doing its job. The absorbance of your entrance matting can become significantly less the longer it is left without being thoroughly cleaned. You should treat your entrance mats as you would your carpets, deep cleaning them with a water extraction machine every 6-12 months. Rubber anti-slip matting can be more easily cleaned either by mopping or wiping.
Avoid Any Unwanted Pests
Another reason you should consistently clean your entrance matting is to avoid it becoming infested with some unwanted creatures! Silverfish are common pests that like to hang around in fibrous materials such as carpets and mats. Not only are they unpleasant to look at, but they can also trigger allergies and eat their way through your entrance matting.
Choose the Right Entrance Matting For Your Building
Every building can benefit from entrance matting, and it is important for the health and safety of the inhabitants of your property and any visitors. Here at Woosh, we provide a range of entrance matting to help you boost your workplace’s safety and stay in control of dirty footprints. Our entrance mats can help your business get off on the right foot by keeping your entranceway free from dirt and water and preventing slippages. If you are in need of entrance matting for your building, then you can get in touch with one of our Wooshologists today!