High Street Chain Case Study
Problem
We were approached by a Property Manager of a large chain of High Street stores. The Property Manager had concerns over the new flooring that was being fitted across all UK stores.
Floors were being changed to a polished porcelain tile with a high gloss finish. Due to the staggered nature of the refit, some stores already had the new floor in-situ and concerns were being raised over the number of slip related accidents being reported in these stores.
The worst-case scenario and overriding fear was that the flooring would have to be ripped up and replaced with a suitable alternative at a great cost to the company.
Solution
SlipTest carried out floor testing to ascertain the slip resistance level on the new flooring at a selected store. This initial test recorded results that confirmed the floor surface was of very poor slip resistance.
Whilst on site the Technician established that excessive dust and debris, and the poor cleaning up of oil-based spillages were the main cause of the poor slip resistance being recorded.
SlipTest undertook an overnight deep clean of the store, removing all contamination and restoring the floor to an as-new condition. A second round of testing demonstrated a significant improvement in the slip resistance of the surface. The Gloss meter and as you could be seen by eye demonstrated that the level of glossiness desired had not been lost.
SlipTest then produced crib sheets detailing a step by step cleaning regime tailored to the floor surface and its usage. This was delivered to the store staff during a short awareness/training session to enable them to effectively clean floors themselves moving forward without the need for expensive treatments.
Result
SlipTest conducted further testing, in the weeks, following the deep clean, to ascertain if the new cleaning regime that had been implemented was effective. Results remained significantly better than the initial test scores, demonstrating that a regular cleaning regime carried out in the correct way would maintain an acceptable slip resistance and therefore floors did not need to be replaced and the customer could still have the desired look they required.
This approach was rolled out across all stores with new flooring and the crib sheet was communicated at refit stage for the remaining stores.
Quote from Property Manager – “We are so thankful that we found SlipTest as we had seriously been considering replacing the floors which would have cost us millions of pounds to do.”