Safety Compliance Flooring
Trusted By Companies Small & Large
Trusted By Companies Small & Large
Trent Martin, Co-Founder Discusses
Why Epoxy Floor Coatings Will Be Central to Meeting ISO 9001 Quality Standards & Safety Floor Specifications
ISO 9001 is the global standard for a Quality Management System (QMS), and in plants in food and beverage, pharmaceutical, and manufacturing sectors, meeting these specifications is of paramount importance. A QMS, according to ISO 9001, enables an enterprise to assure itself that it will always deliver products and services to customer specifications and regulatory expectations. In the end, conforming to these standards enables customer satisfaction and enables an enterprise to concentrate on expansion.
Although epoxy floor coatings aren’t named per se in the ISO 9001 specification, characteristics of a professional-quality epoxy system can go a very long way to meeting several of the specification’s fundamental goals. Through my own experience at Columbus Epoxy Flooring both on the operator and owner side, I’ve had the privilege to witness firsthand how an appropriately-applied system can make a difference in a facility aiming to achieve high-quality conformance.
Workplace Safety Uplifted with Slip Resistance
One of the aspects of any good Quality Management System is to ensure a safe working environment, which has a direct relationship with slip resistance. Commercial flooring coatings can be especially ordered with slip-resistant additives to ensure OSHA regulations.
A safer floor and working environment for employees is a core benefit, with coatings engineered to meet a specific coefficient of friction (CoF). For a dry, flat surface, the recommended standard CoF is around 0.6. However, quality epoxy coatings can often achieve a CoF of around 0.7 even without specialized additives, and with added grit, this can be increased significantly. This is especially important for high-risk areas like wet areas, sloped areas for ramps, and loading and unloading areas.
Calling for a Clean and Sanitized Space
The specifications of the latest floor coatings make them very low maintenance relative to a number of older flooring systems. Low maintenance aids an enterprise in advertising a neat and tidy environment, which is a requirement of a high-quality QMS.
One of the characteristics of a professional urethane or epoxy cement system is that it has a non-porous, tightly sealed finish. This non-porous finish enables dirt and debris to be easily cleaned off, and in many cases, clients can utilize a tenant machine or floor scrubber in a scheduled maintenance program. This increased ability to see and high degree of cleanliness also adds to a professional atmosphere around customers and workers.
Specialized Chemical and Extreme Durability
Chemical Resistance
Strenuous and Heavy-Duty Operations
For harsh and heavy-duty industrial environments where operations involve welding, machining, or heavy equipment use extremely durable systems are required to withstand a high level of traffic and impact. In these cases, systems like urethane cement or an epoxy mortar system are specifically designed to hold up to the harshest abuse.
With proper use and maintenance, these durable systems can hold up for as long as 20 to 30 years, providing a company with longevity and value on their investment. This durability also helps a company avoid costly shut-downs, allowing production to run longer and providing a better return on investment.
Meeting the Most Stringent Regulatory Needs: Pharma & Foods
Industries with the highest stringent regulations on both safety and quality are leading food beverage and drug companies. In such businesses, the floor covering system assumes even more significance to FDA standards and EPA regulations adherence.
One of the most effective systems that we put in these applications is urethane cement. Urethane cement is popular because of the following:
- Antimicrobial
- Hygienic
- Non-permeable
- High levels of durability
- Resistant to thermal cycling
These flooring systems also feature an increased amount of slip resistance and increased traction to ensure a much safer working environment that employees will appreciate, while at the same time satisfying those stringent FDA and EPA regulations.
Lastly, a well-designed epoxy floor will also improve illumination and tidiness in the plant. This is especially true in the case of manufacturing plants where safety and flow of operations take center stage. We regularly install dedicated walking areas in high-visibility shades such as light gray, blue, or in matching shades with a company’s brand identity.
These strips may be ordered with a high-gloss finish to make them more conspicuous. Also, the placement of striping provides clear identification of routes, safe zones, and other important areas, also in keeping with the orderly and safe environment that a strong QMS mandates.
We have assisted all kinds of facilities including automotive and manufacturing to provide them with a customized solution that works specifically for them, adds value to them, and allows them to continuously satisfy their ISO 9001 regulations.
Do you have a given facility you are working on or regulatory need you wish to satisfy with your flooring?
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The reason that epoxy is chosen is because, when it is professionally installed by Columbus Epoxy Flooring, it will provide a high-performance, smooth, and durable surface that will last for years while withstanding the wear and tear of commercial usage.
Industrial operations typically involve for human traffic, material handle, heavy traffic and – in many cases – heavy loads being moved in, out, and around a location. This is particularly true with regard to retail settings or commercial office buildings. Owners and operators depend on epoxy floors to maintain clean and safe conditions for workers, equipment, and inventory, while also providing professional appearances for prospective and existing customer tours of their facilities.