We often talk about floor mats in the context of keeping your facility\’s floors clean and protected, but using the right floor matting system can also increase the safety and comfort of your workers. If your employees spend a considerable amount of time standing each day, anti-fatigue floor mats can reduce body fatigue and foot stress while increasing overall safety and healthy blood circulation.
Keeping Employees Safe
According to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), anti-fatigue floor mats are especially helpful in commercial and industrial settings, and they can prevent sicknesses and injuries associated with standing in one position for long periods of time at work. In 1998, the use of anti-fatigue mats was shown in a Wearwell Productivity Study to reduce absenteeism from over 5% to 4%. In the same year, productivity also grew by over 2%!
A Wide Variety of Options
Mats can be made from a variety of materials, including PVC tubing, vinyl, nitrile rubber and PVC closed cell foam, and some are designed for specific work environments. For example, some types of safety matting offer outstanding traction and are resistant to caustic chemicals, including solvents.
In general, anti-fatigue floor matting can be divided into two categories. Drainage mats with underside knobs and angled holes are ideal for wet areas because they allow debris and water to fall through, and solid mats provide excellent protection against accidents, falls and slips in dry areas.
No matting system can completely eliminate all slip and fall hazards in the workplace, but the right type of safety or anti-fatigue matting can drastically improve safety in the workplace while adding increased comfort for employees. When you install anti-fatigue matting, your workers will experience less body fatigue, stress and pain, which makes them safer, more productive workers.
To learn more about our safety and anti-fatigue matting systems in Boston, contact the team at Banner Systems today!
