Anti slip walkways reduce slip risks in large food factory

Health and Safety Laboratory (HSL) specialists recently undertook a series of slip assessments in a major food production facility

Anti-slip walkways

A large area of flooring had recently been installed throughout the production, cooking, storage, and transit areas. Although the floor appeared to be durable and easy to clean, operatives using the floor complained that it felt slippery.

Assessments were carried out by HSL using standard pendulum and surface roughness analysis techniques.

Results showed that contamination of the floor with clean water resulted in an appreciable slip risk. Work processes used within the factory made elimination of floor contamination difficult, it was therefore decided that modification of the floor surface was the most practical solution to reduce risks of slipping.

Initially, small test areas of a proprietary anti-slip coating were applied to the original surface and assessed by HSL over a period of months. The results indicated that the test areas presented a lower slip risk. Consequently, clearly marked walkways that were treated with the anti-slip coating were used throughout the factory. Slipping accidents have reduced and staff are happier with these improvements.