5 Things to Consider when Buying Food Service Mats

Your selection should be determined by the optimum combination of comfort (anti-fatigue), surface design, drainage capacity, quality and durability, as well as oil/grease resistance and cleaning regimen.

Balancing Food Safety & Employee Safety

NoTrax® offers the perfect solution for standing workers because, like no other producer of mats, we understand the difference of perceptions of workers as well as the variety of workplace conditions that exist. NoTrax floor mats are made of specific formulations and with designs that provide good adherence and instant evacuation of fluids, which is an effective, economical, and durable solution to reduce the risk of slip falls.

Increasing Safety

Slips and falls are responsible for 20 to 30% of the accidents that cause long-term interruption of work. According to the National Floor Safety Institute and the U.S. Department of Labor, more than three million foodservice workers have a slip-and-fall accident every year. This is costing the food service industry more than $2 billion annually, an expense that is increasing at a rate of 10 percent per year.

And the most common reason for these slip-and-fall accidents is soil and grease buildup on the floor. Particularly in the food processing industry, the biggest problem is that floors must be smooth to facilitate cleaning and disinfecting. But, “the presence of water, vegetable oils, animal fats, blood, flour, and various biological waste makes these grounds extremely dangerous and the falls are all the more serious as employees often handle blunt objects”, underlines Henri Saulnier, head of IET (Work Equipment Engineering) at the French INRS.

According to reports, 50% of facility accidents can actually be attributed to the type of flooring used. Just cleaning floors is not enough to prevent floors from getting slippery. Wildbrett & Sauer (1992) observed that even coated anti-slip floors in contact with for example, milk products, become clogged after cleaning due to an accumulation of microscopic residual stains (protein, grease). One would have to keep on changing floors to ensure the effectiveness of an anti-slip coating. Further, a lot of damage is caused by falling objects. Think of chinaware and glasses in the foodservice industry, and tools such as knives frequently used in the food processing industry.

Anti-Fatigue

OSHA (Organization for Safety & Health Administration) cites “prolonged standing and repetitive or prolonged motions such as reaching, lifting, and chopping while preparing food in food preparation areas as one of the hazards for kitchen workers. Static postures may occur as workers continuously stand in one position while chopping or preparing food, causing muscle fatigue and pooling of blood in the lower extremities. Awkward neck postures can lead to neck strains and muscle stiffness if cooks are constantly tilting their heads downward to chop, dice, and mix food.”
“Anti-fatigue mats help contract and expand muscles of the person standing on them increasing blood-flow and reducing fatigue.”
Prof. Dr. Redha Taiar (2011) at the University of Reims in France also noted imbalance as a second cause of fatigue.

In addition to overuse of the same muscles, when the system is out of balance, the muscles must work harder to search for balance and the quick reaction speed is maintained at the cost of energy (fatigue). In a nutshell, to regain balance ‘quick reaction /energy saving/ effectiveness’. Such unbalance is very harmful for the human body. The use of anti-fatigue mats enables correct balancing and a uniform distribution between the right and left leg. Prof. Taiar’s findings confirmed that pains are substantially reduced with the use of anti-fatigue mats compared to the initial situation without mats.

Well Being

Kitchen workers often work in areas with extreme temperatures, cold for preserving food during cleaning, preparation and packaging, or warm during cooking and serving. Factory floors, particularly in the food processing industry, are often cold and wet. Floor mats elevate standing workers from cold floors. This helps keep their feet warmer, thereby improving the overall perception of well-being.

Microstop® Anti-bacterial Compound

The top of the line NoTrax® San-Eze II® is also manufactured with MicroStop®, an anti-microbial rubber compound made from a specially formulated blend of raw materials that inhibits the growth of micro-organisms such as bacteria, and fungi that can cause odour, stains, and product deterioration. NoTrax® floor mats are manufactured from durable natural rubber compounds for general purpose use and nitrile rubber compounds that resist exposure to vegetable oils and grease.

All MicroStop® products pass ASTM G-21, the test used by NSF/ANSI for standard 52.