Dealing with floor maintenance problems, it seems, is still the poor relation of materials handling and storage, with most work on floor repairs being reactionary rather than preventative, unlike other areas of materials handing which now see preventative maintenance of leading importance. The usual problems of floor care are well known, such as poor flatness, gaping joints, potholes, highly contaminated surfaces and lack of safety-related signage and floor markings but these are all obvious. What, however, of the invisible dangers, how critical are they and what defensive measures can be taken?
The unseen dangers are, to some extent, dependant on the nature of a company’s business and this is particularly obvious in the food and drinks industry where static control is critical but under appreciated. Wherever powdered products like flour or any starch-based powders are moved using air-fed conveyors, for example, there is the potential to create explosive atmospheres. At the plant design stage such concerns will be dealt with because there are strict compliance guidelines but when there are plant upgrades or changes in use these considerations are not always thought through and not many people consider what contribution the right flooring can make to protect against unwelcome static build-up, says Paul Maton, technical manager at Resin Surfaces.
To the uninitiated, it may seem incredible that creating a static charge simply by sliding off a plastic seat on a packing line has the potential to generate a transferable charge to other surfaces like conveyor belts or trolleys. Sometimes these charges build up voltages to hundreds and even thousands of volts, which if passed onto a filling line could cause an explosion. An anti-static flooring in such environments, therefore, is important to prevent build-up of a static charge. Even if not handling dry powders, static can pose problems in other areas, like packing lines with electronic monitors that the static can damage. Thus an anti-static flooring treatment can help prevent costly plant maintenance issues.
To counter the problem, plant facilities managers should consider polyurethane-based flooring that can provide grade 6-9 mm anti-static properties, and typically one should expect a resin-based flooring system to provide anti-static performance compliant with BS 2050, delivering the appropriate level of electrical conductivity leakage resistance. Maintenance staff must also beware of high floor contamination levels because this can act as insulation and so adversely affect the floor’s anti-static performance. The floor surface needs to be cleaned and maintained to preserve the performance and the use of other coatings or polishes, or incorrect cleaning materials, may also harm performance.
The other unseen floor problem is the risk of contributing to the “sick building” syndrome, and is particularly important in the food and drinks industries where there is rising emphasis on hygiene and safety. Fully bonded and seamless resin flooring surfaces support higher hygiene, and tighter controls mean there is a drive to cut volatile organic compounds (VOCs) which have been linked to “sick building” syndrome. By cutting VOCs the risk from taint is reduced. Floors can also be made more environmentally friendly through water-based rather than solvent-based products and there are new technologies on the horizon which will offer the food and drinks industries significant benefits.
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