Woodhead Bros Invest in Safe and Seamless Meat Processing Flooring

Based in Colne, Lancashire, Woodhead Bros is a long-standing customer of UltraSyntec and the largest slaughterhouse in the north of England. They cull up to 3,800 cattle, 11,000 lambs and up to 30,000 pigs every week. This volume of animal traffic challenges the meat processing flooring in certain areas. In particular the ramp area from where the animals are unloaded from the trucks.

Over time, this surface had lost its grip and Woodhead Bros were concerned this could pose problems for the animals’ welfare. They called in a specifier from UltraSyntec, who suggested a specialist heavy-duty grip system designed to withstand the duty as well as cope with the open elements and winter weather.

Creating a slip-resistant specification

The UltraSyntec team researched the environment and laid several sample patches with differing grades of slip resistance. Working closely with Woodheads, a decision was made on the best option to create a surface which would not cause injury to the animals in the event of any accidental slippage.

Work began by scabbling the entire 760m² area to remove all surface contaminants and prepare the floor for treatment. A damp-proof membrane primer was applied across the clean concrete to guard against the possibility of any moisture left within the slab affecting the finished project.

Fast installation and minimal downtime

The team then trowel applied Resdev’s Pumagrip HD at a thickness of 3mm. This incorporated a .4/.9 bauxite aggregate to stabilise the product. This specification resulted in a profiled and slip-resistant surface which is hard-wearing, robust and slightly flexible. With a curing time of just 24 hours at 20^oC, it also allowed for swift installation and minimal downtime for the facility.

Easy to clean and maintain

Once cured, the area was swept clean of all excess aggregate. Expansion joints were mirrored by using a flexible epoxy mastic to create a safe and seamless finish. The entire project was completed from start to finish and ready for use in just three days. The new floor is also easy to clean using a low-pressure hose, rotary scrubber drier or wet vacuum. Woodheads were pleased with the appearance, finish and quality of the solution devised by the UltraSyntec team.

Do you have a requirement for meat processing flooring or any related environments? Then contact the team at UltraSyntec today.