The UK's 'Floored' Blame Game

We’ve all been there. Laid up on the couch, box of Kleenex close to one hand, hot honey and lemon in the other and “Have you been involved in an accident in the workplace that wasn’t your fault?” spills from your speakers and you’ve thought “I’ve really had enough of these leeches”? You’re not alone but sadly some people have found themselves in a position where this applies to them and the result is causing headaches for businesses all over the world. It isn’t just the business that is at the wrong end of a liability law-suit. It’s all of us. Every single one of us. Every decent employer has adequate insurance but that cost keeps going up every year. There is no avoiding it. It is just the same as our car insurance (funny that these adverts appear together, coincidence?). We all pay a tiny bit each year to cover the cost of everybody else’s misfortune. It is unavoidable. We need the insurance companies to stay in business so that we can make our claim when it’s our turn so we pay that gentle increase year after year for every uninsured driver and hit and run. Back at work we’re all losing just a little bit of our potential earnings so that our employers can make sure we’re covered at work and ensure that. Sometimes the insurance company does get the bill from these court cases and these are passed onto all of our businesses.

Know the one about the “Have you suffered a fall?”. That’s where were going with this. Slips and trips cost UK industry £500,000,000 per annum!! Picture this scenario. Mr Courier Driver turns up at your offices. It is a busy afternoon in late January and it is raining cats and dogs. Plenty of people have been traipsing in and out of your reception and the marble floor has got a sheen on it. Your receptionist has their eye on the growing puddle and is just waiting for a moment in their day to get the “caution” sign or call for maintenance. Sadly in the last few minutes there hasn’t been a moment where they could divert their attention from the visitors in reception and…Mr Courier Driver is over. Naturally everybody runs and does everything they can to help. He brushes it off, gets up and delivers his package. Sadly his relationship with your company doesn’t end there. He works on for an hour, calls in sick, goes home and has a hot bath. 3 days later and he still can’t move. He’s starting to worry about his job, his pay and, more alarmingly, so is his wife. Weeks pass and he has now had a number of hospital appointments. You can see where this is going.

Sure this is alarming and sensationalist. Then again so are the adverts. You can’t blame him. He’s moving onto statutory sick pay and money is getting tighter by the day. These slips can happen anywhere in a business. Common areas for slips are surface changes. These happen far more often than you realise. Most common area to toilet transitions involve a flooring change. Kitchens, changing rooms, shower-rooms, surgeries, workshops, entrances, industrial applications and many more. It is quite alarming the amount of locations that should be equipped with matting. Not just any old matting though. There are plenty of types of matting that provide different flooring solutions to your business to battle many of these “no win no fee” exploitation areas providing safety, quick cleaning, increased commercial opportunity and user comfort. Floor matting also provides a saving on wear and tear for your high footfall environments whilst allowing your business to increase cleaning intervals passing on a further saving on cleaning supplies and staffing.

Yes, you noticed that “increased commercial opportunity”, didn’t you? It’s true. Many of our floor mats are brandable providing an additional reinforcement of your business as a safe and responsible company to work with or for. This branding can appear throughout your premises providing constant reinforcement of your commitment to quality & health and safety in the workplace. The positive effect of brand reinforcement is that it has a return on investment not just with your customers but your workforce too as they feel more engaged with your core business principles and ethics. They serve as a subtle reinforcement of your training investment and ensure that the enthusiasm felt about brand and mission statement filter through effectively from your marketing team to the rest of the organisation providing additional support for employee fealty.

With our competitive pricing for commercial matting solutions Zenith Washroom Solutions is ready to offer a complete business consultation to provide your business with the right matting systems to allow your business to benefit from increased commercial exposure whilst minimising your liability risk. Our consultation is free and your business remains under no obligation to purchase. Zenith Washroom Solutions provide flexible contract lengths and, until the end of October 2015, a 15% discount on new floor matting contracts. With anti-static, anti-slip, insulating, protecting and dust control options now is the time to contact Zenith Washroom Solutions and find out how to make serious savings on your flooring investment.