Preventing Slip and Falls In Your Building
Cleaning a professional building or office is about more than just removing contaminates and providing a germ-free environment. When it comes to preventing slip and falls, attention and precautions are so important.
Effective cleaning contributes to one of Property Management’s goals, which is to ensure that the floors are made safe for visitors. Sometimes, as we all know, saying and doing this are two different things, so we’ve put together this quick guide to preventing slips and falls.
Help Protect Occupants and Visitors
No matter where you work, there are probably lots of people coming and going during the day. So much traffic increases the risk of slips and falls, but you can help protect everyone who passes through your walkways by making some very small changes to your daily routine, including:
Cleaning up spills promptly. Spills are a fact of life, but how quickly you respond to them can make the difference between safety and injury. Clean spills up promptly, every time. A Day Porter can immediately address any issues in common areas, making floors safe for occupants and visitors at any time of the day.
Use an appropriate floor cleaner. It is important to match up the cleaner with the type of floor to ensure not only cleanliness and proper maintenance, but also to address the co-efficient-to-friction factor that will help reduce the chance of slippery floors. Be sure to ask your janitorial service what it is using — and why .
Adding rubber-backed mats. Carpets can be both hazards and helpers, depending on how they’re used. Rubber-backed mats are great choices for bridging any slight gaps in the floor that might cause a stumble and to provide extra traction at exterior doors where snow and rain are frequently tracked inside. They can always be rolled out to the lobby floors anytime it is raining outside to reduce the slip factor on resilient floors, then rolled up and put away after the rain goes away.
Increasing visibility. Sometimes poor lighting or too many things scattered around the floor are to blame for visitors misjudging the floor and falling. Check that all the light bulbs in high-slip areas are changed and that the path is clear for anyone who may be walking through.
Adding wet floor/safety signs or tape to slip-prone areas. Keep a close eye on slip-prone areas and add signs if it seems appropriate. Traction tape is another great tool in the war against slippery floors, especially in stairwells or exterior walkways and when coupled with highly visible signs will dramatically cut down on accidents.
Safety First In The Building
It doesn’t matter if five people or 50 people pass through the lobby every day, you should always have an eye to safety. Providing more traction-friendly surfaces like rubber-backed mats and traction tape, immediately attending to spills and keeping walking paths cleared for visitors are just a few ways you can help prevent slips and falls.
