Safety Flooring Solutions: Altro
Main Image: Hillingdon Hospital Paediatrics A & E - Altro Wood Safety
Hamilton Flooring are experts in a range of flooring solutions, whether you are looking for a long-lasting and stylish option for your home, or something more specialist and robust, we have the solutions for you.
Safety flooring crosses over both of these elements, it requires an attractive finish whilst also being incredibly durable with the specialised characteristics which satisfy the requirements of safety flooring.
What is Safety Flooring?
Simply put, safety flooring is floor coverings which are engineered and designed specifically to minimise risk and provide a safe environment for floors which are exposed to contaminants which may pose a risk of slipping. Furthermore, safety flooring may be designed with additional visual safety functions such as specialist colourways and anti glare/matte finishes which reduce any interference of the flooring with the vision and/or perception of those using the area - this is particularly beneficial for individuals with cognitive difficulties and certain conditions.
Where Should You Use Safety Flooring?
Safety flooring is beneficial to a number of sectors such as healthcare, education, the hospitality industry and transport sectors. In addition to this, both commercial residences such as student accommodation, care homes and rental properties, as well as standard residential properties have shown a growth in the popularity of safety flooring. This has meant that there has been an increase in the range of styles available in safety flooring options - not all safety flooring looks like hospital flooring and not all hospital flooring has to be uninspired!
Anywhere which experiences a reasonable level of foot traffic can make use of safety flooring, whether this is a school, restaurant kitchen, leisure centre changing room or family bathroom - safety should come first! Common contaminants such as shampoo, oil, grease, water and everyday spills can create a dangerous environment and areas where contaminants are likely to be present can benefit from the characteristics of safety flooring.
What Makes Safety Flooring - Well...Safe?
Primarily, what makes a floor safe or unsafe is the environment within which it is placed and the way in which it is used. Beautifully stylised, geometrically patterned vinyl flooring may provide the benefits of increased hygiene properties and ease of maintenance, but when laid in a residential care facility for those living with dementia, the patterned element would make the flooring significantly problematic and even dangerous for those walking on it.
Different environments require differing flooring solutions to ensure the safety of those using it and the expertise of the professionals at Hamilton Flooring provides the support and knowledge to aid you in selecting the right flooring for your needs.
Safety Flooring can be engineered with a number of characteristics, including: antimicrobial properties; anti slip agents; intelligent aesthetic design; increased durability and grip; and low impact cushioning. In this article we will take a brief look at some of the popular options available from Altro, ‘the original creators of safety flooring’.
Haven House Children's Hospice: Altro Wood Safety
Altro Safety Flooring
There are many manufacturers of safety flooring which provide excellent solutions to your specialist flooring needs, one of these is Altro. Hamilton Flooring has worked with Altro products for a number of years and the variety of solutions available for both commercial and residential environments never ceases to impress.
Altro offers two main safety flooring options as well solutions which decrease the risk of slipping. Their no-nonsense approach to the development of safety flooring means that their Altro Safety Flooring is categorised by the contaminants which determine the risk of slipping and other characteristics requiring safety flooring options. By incorporating aggregates into the production process, Altro Safety Flooring is designed to be able to reduce the impact that contaminants can have on the safe movement in a particular area. Altro breaks down their safety flooring solutions into; Very high risk, high risk, and low risk to enable you to assess which safety flooring product is most suitable for your flooring requirements.
Altro Safety Flooring: Very High Risk
Demanding environments require a flooring which is up to the challenge and works hard for you. Areas which are assessed as high slip risk where there is the likelihood of the constant/daily presence of contaminants require specialist safety flooring.
In particular, operating theatres, commercial kitchens, swimming pools and wet environments pose an extremely high risk of slips and injuries.
Altro Safety Flooring: Product Examples
With five different ranges available which are suited to very high risk areas. Altro Safety Flooring covers a variety of environment and design needs.
Here are two of our current favourites from the Altro Safety Flooring, Very High Risk Category:
Altro Stronghold 30
This safety flooring is particularly suited to commercial kitchens, canteens, and food preparation areas. This safety flooring solution provides the highest level of slip resistance - even where grease is present! With additional cushioning, Altro Stronghold 30 is designed to reduce foot fatigue which is a major consideration for chefs who may spend extremely long hours standing in a kitchen.
Below are the properties of Altro Stronghold 30 Safety Flooring:
Slip resistance:
PTV ≥55
Thickness:
3mm
Life expectancy:
25 years
No. of colours:
14
Weight:
3.9kg/m²
Minimum operating temperature
-30°C
Altro Pisces
The domestic aesthetic of Altro Pisces Safety Flooring allows the creation of a specialist flooring with a homely feel. This flooring is well suited to wet environments such as bathrooms, particularly adapted spaces. This safety flooring is specifically designed for barefoot and shoe use and is a great addition to social housing, adapted bathrooms, care homes, saunas and spas. Below are the technical specifications of Altro Pisces Safety Flooring:
Slip resistance:
PTV ≥50
Thickness:
2mm
Life expectancy:
15 years
No. of colours:
16
Weight:
2.6kg/m²
Altro Safety Flooring: High Risk
For environments where there is the likelihood of the regular presence of contaminants, Safety Flooring addressing high risk circumstances is the best solution. Substances such as water present a high risk of injury from slipping but the safety flooring range from Altro reduces this risk of slipping to one in a million.
The ‘High Risk’ category of safety flooring from Altro is designed to meet the highest standards of slip resistance and they even come with a lifetime sustained slip resistance guarantee. The products in this range, much like those in the very high risk category, are durable and stain-resistant as well as being resistant to extremes in temperature. The manufacturing process ensures that the quality of the flooring is sustained and each flooring is capable of withstanding the physical wear and tear associated with areas of high footfall.
Altro Safety Flooring: Product Examples
With ten different ranges available which are suited to high risk areas. Altro Safety Flooring covers a variety of environment and design needs.
Here are two of our current favourites from the Altro Safety Flooring, High Risk Category:
Altro Reliance 25
Altro Reliance 25 Safety Flooring is a stylish and tough, 2.5 mm flooring, perfect for public areas which experience high footfall. This safety flooring is incredibly hard-wearing, easy to clean and stain resistant - ideal for hospital hallways, clinical areas, atria, receptions and common rooms. Below are the technical specifications of Altro Reliance 25 Safety Flooring:
Slip resistance:
PTV ≥40
Thickness:
2.5mm
Life expectancy:
25 years
No. of colours:
27
Weight:
3.3kg/m²
Altro Wood Comfort
The Altro Wood Comfort range creates a biophillic, residential feel with added 14dB noise reduction plus additional underfoot comfort. This hard working safety flooring is a great option for noisy environments such as classrooms, GP surgeries and retail shops where the users are likely to be on their feet all day. In addition, this safety flooring features low residual indentation which means that the movement of furniture and equipment can be achieved with ease and reduced denting. Below are the technical specifications of Altro Wood Comfort Safety Flooring:
Slip resistance:
PTV ≥36
Thickness:
2.85mm
Life expectancy:
15 years
No. of colours:
12
Weight:
2.66kg/m²
Altro Safety Flooring: Low Risk
Low risk doesn't mean no risk, so for areas which are likely to receive occasional contaminants, safety flooring remains an ideal flooring solution. Areas such as waiting areas, standard classrooms and corridors, Altro low risk safety flooring provides a safe flooring solution which retains the ease of maintenance, durability and anti-slip properties of its higher risk addressing alternatives.
With a wide range of aesthetic options, safety should never be a compromise for style.
Altro Safety Flooring: Product Examples
With five different ranges available which are suited to low risk areas. Altro Safety Flooring covers a variety of environment and design needs.
Here are two of our current favourites from the Altro Safety Flooring, low risk Category:
Altro Cantata
The Altro Cantata range is a modern and tonal range with a variety of design options available. Its adhesive-free installation also means that minimal downtime is required to install the safety flooring - leaving you to get back to what you do best in no time! This particular range features enhanced ease of cleaning which makes it an ideal safety flooring solution for public spaces which are in regular use meaning the disruption of cleaning can be kept to a minimum. An excellent choice for waiting rooms, shop floors and reception areas, Altro Cantata is the stylish approach to safety. Below are the technical specifications of Altro Cantata Safety Flooring:
Slip risk:
Low
Thickness:
2.4mm
Life expectancy:
15 years
No. of colours:
17
Weight:
2.4kg/m²
Altro Operetta
For areas of low risk, Altro Operetta is a great safety flooring solution. Its 4dB sound reduction properties make it the ideal flooring for high traffic areas like entrances, corridors and the retail sector. This safety flooring, as with many of the safety flooring options from Altro, are compatible with other ranges from Altro meaning that you can create a custom flooring space, addressing the needs of the environment in specific detail, targeting areas which require additional safety features and others which have differing functions. Below are the technical specifications of Altro Operetta Safety Flooring:
Slip risk:
Low
Thickness:
2mm
Life expectancy:
15 years
No. of colours:
25
Weight:
2.66kg/m²
Altro Safety Flooring Solutions At Hamilton Flooring
The applications of safety flooring are varied and dynamic and at Hamilton Flooring we understand the importance of both safety and style. We also understand that every space is unique and will require particular consideration for the best flooring solution. With decades of experience in the industry, our flooring professionals are here to help you select the right flooring for you, whether you are looking to reduce the risk of falls in a family bathroom or you are looking for a large scale re-flooring of a healthcare facility. Let Hamilton Flooring take the stress out of safety! Contact us today for your safety flooring consultation.
Unless otherwise stated, Images are used for illustrative purposes and do not represent work untaken by Hamilton flooring - examples of work completed can be found in our Gallery