One thing that many people notice when they step into a large commercial facility, whether it’s a hospital, mall, school, or something else, are likely going to be charcoal black or gray mats. These mats are designed to help collect dirt, sand, snow, ice, and anything else that tends to get tracked in from outside.
Depending on the commercial facility, these mats could be highly effective at protecting the floors, but they could be a greater problem than they’re worth.
Why mats may be a problem.
Far too often if mats are not cared for properly, if they don’t have any maintenance personnel checking on them regularly, they could pose a potential tripping hazard. If one corner of the mat gets turned up, if it gets shifted in any way and a ridge forms in the middle of it, then people walking into or out of the building could end up slipping or tripping over it. That increases liability for the company as a whole.
However, having people step inside from the pouring rain could be a greater risk, especially if the floor surfaces are extremely slippery when wet.
Most companies don’t have their own mats for their entryways; they rely on a mat service that will come weekly or biweekly, or however often it’s necessary, to remove the old one and replace it with a clean one. That can make it seem as though the commercial property maintenance crew doesn’t have to do anything to keep them up.
They still need to be cleaned. This usually gets done with a vacuum, but depending on the type of facility that could make it a greater burden for the maintenance personnel than it’s worth.
Essentially it depends on the commercial facility and what other provisions are in place to help protect employees, customers, and any other visitors as they walk into the facility from outside, whether it’s raining or snowing out. Determine safety and viability of mats by entrance doors and if it’s something that seems to work for the company as a whole, then it may very well be worth it.