"How can I make our facility safer and reduce work related injuries from slips and falls?"
Slip and Fall Injuries. Minimizing slip and fall incidents—especially in high traffic areas—is easy and cost effective with the right flooring. Slips and falls account for as much as 43 percent of all non-playground injuries in schools.* The costs of these incidents are estimated to exceed $20 billion** for medical treatment alone. Students, teachers and school visitors are more likely to slip and fall in the areas where they do the most walking. But, if they're walking on carpet, their chances of slipping and falling are greatly decreased. And if they do fall, they are much less likely to be injured because carpet cushions the impact.
Research shows 46% of falls on hard surfaces result in injuries requiring medical attention compared to 17% for carpet.
* Source: Michigan Federation of Teachers and School Related Personnel. "Top 5 Injuries in Schools: What every member should know." Retrieved from http://www.aftmichigan.org/members/handbook/schoolinjuries.html
** Source: National SAFE KIDS Campaign (NSKC). School Injury Fact Sheet. Washington (DC): NSKC, 2004
"Can carpet actually reduce the amount of allergens in the air?"
High Traffic = High Dust. Corridors and classrooms experience a lot of foot traffic on any given day. All of that walking stirs up airborne particulates that students, teachers and visitors could potentially breathe. Fortunately, carpet helps by reducing the amount of dust and allergens in the air. Many particulates that fall to the carpet are held there and remain away from the breathing zone until they are removed by vacuuming or cleaning. On the other hand, walking on hard surfaces actually disturbs more particulates than walking on carpet and these remain in the air. So, for the highest traffic areas, Mohawk can recommend carpet solutions that improve indoor air quality and create healthier facilities.
"Hard surfaces make it easier to clean up frequent spills. But are they really effective at resisting the transmission of bacterial, fungal and other types of infections?"
A Growing Concern. Some areas just need more clean-up. By their very nature, bathrooms, cafeterias, science labs and entries require more maintenance. That's where the most spills and wetness occur and it's where hard surface flooring really excels. Spills on rubber, vinyl tile and other hard surfaces are easily cleaned. Properly cleaned hard surfaces will effectively resist the growth of bacteria, fungus and mold. The Mohawk Group's next-generation hard surfaces meet the demands of the messiest areas and complement our carpets so you don’t have to sacrifice aesthetics for the highest functionality. tance technology comes close to Duracolor’s record of success. The fact that Duracolor can be cleaned with water or a mild detergent means you don’t need expensive chemical cleaners and you can reduce maintenance time and labor costs. Most importantly, Duracolor extends the useful life of your carpet, and is warranted to last forever.
Infection Control. No worries. Is flooring a factor in transmitting diseases, such as H1N1, or parasites, such as head lice? Carpet has never been linked to the spread of infectious disease, assuming proper maintenance is performed.* Further, flooring of any type is not a host for most parasites.* Studies have shown that carpet is no more likely to transmit infections than hard surfaces.** In fact, carpet is able to hold bio-contaminants and parasites, keeping them out of the range of contact for transmission and out of the breathing zone. Daily carpet vacuuming and routine cleaning have been shown to be highly effective in maintaining a healthy space.
Match the space with the right flooring. Today, carpet and hard surface flooring represent the ultimate multiple-choice test. The Mohawk Group's full line of soft and hard surfaces allows you to pick the best flooring for each type of space, coordinating colors and designs to end up with an A+ for functionality throughout your entire school.
* Source: Leib R., Rhode J. "Are those room finishes and cleaners safe?" Healthcare Design 2007 Vol.7(2)
** Source: Speare R., Thomas G., Cahill, C. correspondence to the School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine, James Cook University, Townsville, Queensland, AU, 2002
