Slippery kitchen floor? Try this.
Slip and fall in the kitchen? It’s more common than you might think.
Kitchens continually rank as one of the top locations for a slip and fall accident in the home. It’s no wonder with their potential for grease, water, spilled food, and oftentimes one of the most high level foot traffic in the home. The kitchen can set up a hazardous foundation for people to be moving about.
Starting to prevent slip and fall accidents in the kitchen starts with the floor. While many other factors can be reviewed, according to the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), floors and flooring materials contribute directly to more than 2 million fall injuries each year. By being able to assess your floor and create the right amount of resistance, traction, and visibility you can greatly decrease the threat of a slip and fall accident in your kitchen or the kitchen of a loved one.
Jessup Manufacturing is sharing our top anti-slip suggestions and additional insights into how to prevent slip and fall accidents in the kitchen.
Fix and Clean Floors
What is the condition of your floors? If you notice your floors are beginning to show signs of wear- such as cracks, depressions, or otherwise you will want to have them fixed before anything else. Moisture is more prone to accumulate in flooring that has creases and cracks which can quickly become a hazard.
When it comes to cleaning your floors also choose a NFSI-certified cleaning product to keep your floors high traction. Ensuring you are able to cut through grease, but without leaving a slippery residue is important. And while bleach is sanitized it should not be used on top of grease because it can create an incredibly slippery environment.
Apply Anti-Slip Tape in the Kitchen
Kitchen flooring should be slip resistant and mop friendly. That is easier said than done. A lot of kitchen floors with esthetic appeal over functionality, unfortunately making them prone to slip and fall accidents. The good news is you can create a more slip resistant floor that can be easily cleaned with the use of the right anti-slip tape.
Anti-slip tape is discrete and can offer high levels of traction, excellent when looking to prevent kitchen slip and fall accidents. Make sure you purchase an anti-slip tape that is certified “High Traction” by the National Floor Safety Institute.
Safety Track 3100 resilient Medium Grade anti-slip films are an excellent choice for throughout the kitchen. This top rate anti-slip tape is certified high traction, discrete, and provides excellent traction, but still comfortable enough for bare feet.
Think Twice Before Using Mats
While mats have been touted as a great front line at preventing slip and fall accidents, they can also cause them if not properly maintained. Consider kids running about or adults preoccupied with cooking and your buckled rug could pose a huge hazard.
Tips to keep in mind with mats include:
● Make sure all mats in the kitchen are secured to the ground. Look for a mat that states it has a high traction backing or put a few pieces of certified NFSI anti-slip tape under it to prevent movement.
● Mats should only be placed on dry and clean floors. If a mat gets wet immediately remove it. If the floor under the mat is wet, it can easily shift across the wet floor underneath posing a bigger hazard then help.
● Assess your current mats. If they look worn out or are buckling at the corners, replace them immediately.
● Consider a seamless anti-slip mat over a traditional mat. Even those labeled anti-slip bath mats can make perfect choices in the kitchen and provide that extra level of traction needed.
After Dark Anti-Slip Protection
An often overlooked but convenient kitchen hack to prevent slip and fall accidents in dim lighting is the use of glow-in-the-dark anti-slip tape. If someone in your house is known for their midnight snacks or grabbing a glass of water before the sun comes up then you will want to look at this inexpensive option.
Glow-in-the-dark anti slip tape provides excellent visibility in low light situations. Using phosphor and requiring zero electricity, these tapes can provide illumination in many cases for 10+ hours. It can be purchased in discrete colors and adhere to areas around the kitchen you want to call out in the dark like sharp table corners, the refrigerator, or around the sink. An added bonus is during a power outage they will provide ample light when the electricity goes out.
Shop the entire line of Glo Brite Safety Track anti-slip tapes at JessupMfg.com.
Start Preventing Kitchen Falls
With the simple tips mentioned above you can be well on your way to preventing slip and fall accidents in the kitchen.
If you need anti-slip tape or have questions about which adhesive is best suited for your application, contact the experts at Jessup Manufacturing.
