When thinking of what type of flooring to install into a food processing plant, non-slip stainless expanded metal may not be your first thought, but it may be an efficient solution. Generally flooring in food processing plants must be void of holes or spaces that can collect moisture and dirt, non-porous, must be easily cleaned, meet OSHA slip resistance standards, have low or no odor and have a chemical resistance to harsh environments. Epoxies, some grating and non-slip solid floor plate are common flooring solutions.
Stainless expanded metal should also be considered in specific areas. SLIPNOT provides a product that has been retrofit in various food processing plants with much success. In one fruit plant new grating had been purchased and was too slippery. The company chose to place stainless steel expanded sheet over the grating in order to increase employee safety. This solution helped the company both avoid the high costs and large down times involved in replacing large amounts of grating. Another food processing company purchased a large sheet of stainless steel expanded metal, cut it into specific sizes and placed it on stair nosings and platforms.
Slip resistant stainless expanded sheet cannot be used in every situation in every food processing facility, but should be considered as a safe and efficient way to decrease slip and falls and increase productivity.
