Every day you go out you are walking on floormats. They are everywhere in public locations and often in people’s homes as well. Let’s explore floormat usage in this comprehensive guide.
The implementation of floor mats in hospitals, nursing homes, manufacturing companies, businesses, and private homes have for many years being considered a necessity we cannot do without.
In hospitals, many patients that are admitted for other illnesses, trip, and fall causing serious physical injuries that are not related to their illness yet prolong their stay at those hospitals. The need for preventing their safety at such hospitals cannot be stressed enough.
The use of mats for many patients is necessary to prevent serious injuries, but for many other patients, the use of mats have to be monitored carefully. The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, outlines many of the prevention practices hospitals need to adopt in order to prevent falls with patients. The use of mats in these facilities is abundant, but when using them with elder patients or other patients where mats can be a danger to their safety, the usage becomes more carefully
For the nursing home industry, 36% of falls among the elderly are preventable. Yet, 75% of the nursing home residents fall on a yearly basis, and many of these injuries require hospitalizations, surgeries, and a long rehabilitation.
There are many preventable measures these nursing home facilities can take to prevent injuries among the residents. The Nursing Home Abuse Center website has a plethora of information regarding the prevention and care of residents of nursing homes and what to do in case your loved one is a resident in one of these facilities. The implementation of floor mats in many of these facilities is considered to be an important measure to prevent falls among the residents and their safety.
This important practice is one that is consistently used in these nursing home facilities areas, especially where dirt and spills frequently occur.
Mats on the dining areas, entrance doors, and high traffic areas are essential to ensure the residents are safe and protected from falls that can cause serious injuries. Anti-slip mats for the care and safety of these residents cannot be stressed enough.
Private Sector
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, in 2019, there were 244,000 accidents due to falls, slips, and trips. There were close to 300,000 cases involving sprains, strains, and tears. And more than 130,000 cases involving back injuries.
The fatalities for 2019 related to these cases are not available, yet in 2018, 791 fatalities occurred related to falls, slips, and trips.
There are many studies that have shown the many advantages of using floor mats in business to prevent injuries, the question is, which mats to use and where?
Residential Homes
For a private home, a mat can offer the accent touch you want. The entrance door mat can offer the cleanliness you crave while providing an accent to the decor. Mats in the personal gym can be a place of safety, cleanliness, and organization. Placing floor mats in the garage allows you to keep more of the debris from the outdoors inside, without transferring to the inside of the home. If you have a workshop, an anti-fatigue mat
The huge quantity of mats available for your place of business, home, gym, and office space is immense. Finding out what you need and shopping for the right mat should be easy. These are some of the few mat choices you can shop from the convenience of your home.
At floormat.com, we have a floor mat that will meet the need of your business or home.
Entry Mats: Entry mats placed at entrance and exit doors to capture rainwater, snow, and debris will protect your visitors, employees, and residents from falls and slips and keep the floors cleaner and safer. The signs placed at the entrance door to warn visitors of a wet floor may be too late to prevent them from slipping. A mat can decrease the chance of a fall and injury sustained from falling.
Interior Mats: Not only do interior mats offer the safety you need but can provide a decorative aspect as well. Interior mats that are certifiable slip-resistant, colorful addition to your home or business, and durable, are necessary to your home and business.
Snow Melting Mats: For the northern part of the US, snow melting mats are a necessity. Placing those mats on the entrance and exit doors and outside steps can be the difference between having no injuries, to having incidents of slips and falls that disrupt the workplace environment and people’s health.
Foot Warming Mats: Nursing homes and private homes with older people can benefit from this item. Nursing homes have an open concept that makes recreational rooms colder than necessary. Foot warming mats placed in such rooms can make the stay of the residents pleasant and inviting. Placing a foot-warming mat in those office spaces where the floor is unusually cold, can be an increase in productivity with your employees.
Anti-Fatigue Mats: Manufacturing companies, auto mechanics shops, and any shop where employees spend many hours on their feet can benefit immensely by placing anti-fatigue mats. There are many studies that have shown an increase in the productivity of employees when using anti-fatigue mats, and a decrease in injury-related accidents.
The array of mats for your home, business, or recreational places is immense. Shopping for one should not be difficult. Look for quality mats that will last you a long time and ignore the cheap mats you find everywhere but have to replace every few months. Every business in the industry is not selling the same product. There are quality mats and there are cheap mats. The price of one mat can sound right to you until you consider the frequency of replacing them. Buying a good quality mat can last you many years especially if you take care of it properly.
How to Care for your mats
Buying high-quality mats are the first step in ensuring the safety of your employees, residents, and visitors. Caring for your mats should be taken seriously to make sure the durability and appearance of your mats continue for many years
- Make sure you follow the manufacturer’s instructions to care for your mats.
- Buy high-quality disinfectants and soaps to clean and protect them.
- If you see wear and tear around the edges, call your provider to see what solutions they offer.
- If the edges or cover of the mat are too damaged, you must replace them. Edges on the mat that curl can be a hazard to your employees, visitors, and residents in a nursing home facility.
- Sanitize your mats to stop the spread of viruses in the workplace, home, or nursing home.
- Professionally clean your mats after the winter months to keep them looking nice; especially where salts and other debris might accumulate from the outside.
The sole of our shoes can carry many contaminants from the outside world and into our homes. The transfer of pollutants can find a way into a home without too much trouble. Children and pets unknowingly bring dirt and other debris into our living areas. Adults can bring other pollutants from their place of work, public parking garages, and streets, and transferring those pollutants into our homes. A well-placed mat can greatly decrease the amount of these pollutants entering our homes and the transfer of them to other rooms in the house.
