Safety First: 10 Reasons to Consider Non Slip Kitchen Flooring

From 2017 to 2018, there were about 626,062 reported non-fatal workplace injuries in the UK. Of these injuries, 31% resulted from slips, trips, and falls (on the same level).

What’s more, slips and trips alone cost employers more than £500 million every year. These accidents also place an £800 million burden on UK society every year.

These show how big a threat slip and trip accidents are to everyone. But it shouldn’t be the case for your home or your kitchen-equipped business or facility.

Install non slip kitchen flooring, and you can reduce the risks of such accidents.

But how exactly does this type of flooring mitigate risks? Why should you consider it over your other kitchen flooring options?

That’s exactly what we’ll cover in this post, so be sure to keep reading!

1. Non Slip Kitchen Flooring: The Greater Traction Advantage

For flooring systems to be non-slip, they need to have “positive traction”. This “traction” refers to a floor’s roughness that reduces the risks of slips and trips.

It’s much like how the grooves in car tyres provide traction against slippery roads. Except in flooring, components like aggregates are what allows them to be slip-resistant. These additives give them enough roughness to ensure a skid-free surface.

This is also why wood or smooth-tile flooring systems don’t make for safe floors in the kitchen. They lack “roughness” or traction, which raises the odds of slipping and tripping.

Resin-based, non-slip commercial kitchen flooring passes British standards. Whereas wooden floors in a restaurant kitchen most likely won’t. If your floor doesn’t have enough traction, consider your other resin flooring options.

2. Helps Prevent Injuries Due to Slips, Trips, and Falls

The UK Catering and Hospitality industry accounts for 3% of all slips, trips, and falls. Wet surfaces, stairs and steps, kitchen, and cleaning are the top contributing factors.

While not all STF cases lead to injuries, they can still cause pain, sprains, and fractures. They can also result in more severe hip fractures, as well as shoulder, hip, and back injuries.

In worst case scenarios, those who slip or trip end up falling and sustaining a head injury. And such scenarios happen to 1.4 million people every year — in England and Wales alone.

That said, non-slip/skid flooring is the best kitchen flooring for safety purposes. Their higher traction enables them to lower the risks of slipping and tripping. With lower risks come lower possibilities of severe injuries to your kitchen crew.

That also makes them the best flooring for the elderly, with one in every three of them falling every year.

3. Helps Hold “Collision” Accidents at Bay

These safe flooring options can also help lower the risks of collision in the kitchen. Kitchen personnel who slip can bump into another person who may be handling a knife. That can then result in cuts, lacerations, and even punctures.

Another instance is when someone slides and bumps into a piece of equipment, say the stove or oven. The hot pans, especially those with boiling water, can cause scalds and burns. At the very least, they can sustain bruises from bumping into the equipment.

4. Reduced Risks of Accidents Mean Lower Risks of Absenteeism

Slips, trips, and falls can lead to emergency department visits and hospitalisation. If this would happen a lot in your kitchen, you can expect a spike in your people’s absenteeism rate.

So, prevent STF accidents with non-slip flooring! Safer floors will keep your people in the kitchen and not the hospital.

5. Lowers Risks of Liabilities

Aside from covering your employees’ medical bills, you may also face legal liabilities. Especially if you didn’t take reasonable steps to reduce risks, such as those for slips and trips. In this case, employees may sue you for negligence.

6. Fewer Worries of Getting into Accidents Can Help Boost Productivity

Employees who know they’re walking on slip-free floors can worry less about their safety. Instead, this can help them concentrate on their kitchen tasks. The more focused they are, the faster they can serve your hungry patrons.

7. Can Improve Kitchen Crew Morale

79% of workers in the UK think their boss “doesn’t care” whether they’re happy or not. And while they don’t quit their jobs, their unhappiness can make them unproductive.

Workplace safety is a key factor in keeping employees happy. After all, they work because they likely have mouths to feed back home. This means people are waiting for them to get home safe, sound, and in one piece.

If your commercial kitchen is prone to accidents, this can affect employee morale. Because they worry about their safety at work, they may feel more stressed. This can ultimately lead to unhappy workers.

So, show your people that you care about them by providing all the relevant work wear and Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) plus a non-slip workplace environment. Have a professionally-finished resin floor that complies with British Standards installed now.

8. Key to Preventing Mess in the Kitchen

When someone slips, the body’s instinct is to grab on to something for support. The thing is, kitchen workers always have their hands full, be it with a pot full of sauce or a can of vegetables. So, when they slip, they’re likely to release what they’re holding, which then results in a complete mess.

These scenarios are unlikely to happen if you have slip-free kitchen floors.

9. Non-Slip Resin Floors are Hygienic

Aside from being non-slip, resin floors also boast of hygienic surfaces. This is why they make for ideal flooring options for food manufacturing facilities. Resin floors are also used by many schools (especially cafeterias) and hospitals in the UK.

10. Tough and Long-Lasting

Non-slip resin flooring, especially epoxy flooring systems, are highly-resistant to wear and tear. They can withstand high traffic from both humans and heavy equipment. They also have a compressive strength greater than that of concrete.

Keep Slips and Trips at Bay with a Non-Slip Kitchen Floor

These ten reasons should be enough for you to invest in non slip kitchen flooring. But as a bonus, know that aggregates like quartz can also make them look pretty. Depending on the type of resin you choose, your floor can even make the kitchen brighter!

Ready to transform your kitchen into a safer, healthier, and happier workplace? If so, then feel free to get in touch with us! We can help you decide which type of resin-based flooring is best for your commercial or home kitchen.