When we consider the myriad elements required to keep our commercial premises, offices, healthcare, and education settings clean, functional, and safe, the humble entrance matting rarely springs to mind. Yet, this often-overlooked player has a significant role in preserving the integrity of your indoor environment. Whether it's the first step for visitors or a daily pathway for staff, entrance matting contributes to safety, hygiene, a positive first impression, and the overall reputation of your company.
Here we shed light on the role of entrance matting in reducing dirt and moisture ingress within premises, helping you understand its importance and guiding you towards making the right matting choices for your establishment. For complete expert advice and to discuss the right options for you, contact our entrance matting specialists at phs Syncros.
Leaving the dirt at the door
From the moment we enter a building, shoes and wheelchairs can bring in unwanted elements like dirt and moisture. These may seem like minor nuisances, but soon enough, they can compromise the cleanliness of the indoors. Muddy footprints, dirt and debris quickly build up, which can indicate to others a lack of regard for your workplace cleanliness and create a negative impression on both staff and visitors of your business premises. These seemingly minute details can also have a substantial impact on the overall hygiene and safety standards of a commercial space. This is where high-quality entrance mats come into play. With the ability to capture up to 80% of dirt, mud and moisture from people’s feet, entrance mats serve as an effective barrier, preventing debris and germs from spreading into the building, and reducing the risk of accidents. They also help preserve your floors for longer, helping you maintain a clean, professional appearance for your business premises.
A health and safety heavyweight
First impressions aside, entrance matting is essential to managing health and safety in any commercial building. Spillages and water ingress are commonplace in busy environments, increasing the risk of slips and falls. Nobody wants to enter a building and immediately fall, but without matting, the risk of doing so is significant. In fact, of the more than 600,000 non-fatal injuries reported to the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) in 2021/22, slips, trips and falls at the same level accounted for 30%1. Furthermore, most slips (90%)2 occur when the floor is wet with water. Causing injury due to a wet floor has the potential to incur high costs in terms of compensation for the injured party, much more than the cost of investing in proper entrance matting.
More than being a just voluntary safety consideration for businesses, it is also a legal requirement of all public premises to provide appropriate entrance matting. According to the British Standards (BS) 7953 Code of Practice, “the ingress of soil and surface moisture to buildings…should be reduced to the lowest practicable levels, e.g. through the use of appropriate entrance flooring systems (BS 7953)”.
Appropriate entrance matting, therefore, that is of adequate size and designed with enough absorbency for your entranceway and level of foot traffic should be installed anywhere where there is an external entrance/ exit to a building or on flooring that has the potential to be a slipping hazard, such as a public bathroom.
Keeping germs at bay
What’s more, entrance mats can significantly reduce the number of contaminants, such as dust and allergens including hair and pollen, pesticides, pollutants and insect fragments that enter a building. According to research, up to 40% of the contaminants within a building are brought in from outdoors, and around 85% of this is brought in, in the first four steps a person takes inside.
Entrance matting will encourage your staff and visitors to actively wipe their feet upon entering your premises, therefore reducing the risk of spreading contaminants and germs. Making sure you choose a high quality, durable entrance mat – that can be purpose-designed with features and textures to physically remove dirt and capture moisture as a person walks across it – is a must, particularly if you have high-traffic footfall through your business.
When it comes to choosing the right matting solution, it's essential to consider the variety of options available. At phs Syncros, we provide a wide array of matting options, each designed to cater to specific needs and scenarios. These include primary matting – for immediate contact with incoming foot and wheelchair traffic; secondary matting – for creating zones of increased moisture and dirt removal, such as in busy corridors and thoroughfares; and wet area matting – for providing safe walking areas in particularly wet zones such as shower areas and swimming pools.
All phs Syncros matting systems come in a variety of gauges, fibres and designs to suit your business needs, with options for commercial branding that can add valuable appeal for visitors and customers and help show off your business. All our systems are also available on a supply and fit basis from Syncros or a supply only basis.
Syncros has been supplying and installing entrance matting solutions since 1995 and our friendly and experienced team can help you find the most appropriate, cost-effective entrance matting solutions for your business. For further information or assistance, contact us on 01234 314 314.
