Forklifts and Flooring: How to Maximize Workplace Safety
With heavy forklift traffic, concrete flooring safety isn’t easy to maintain.
The average car weighs about three tons. A forklift typically weighs three times as much as a car.
Forklifts are exceptional workhorses. However, they continually exert 9,000 pounds of pressure, or more, on your facility floor.
This continuous pressure can lead to significant safety hazards for your employees who work with or near heavy machinery. Fortunately, you can eliminate this threat by installing the right floor coating.
Floor Coating Safety for Industrial Facilities
Cracked, damaged concrete and uneven joints create dangerous workplace hazards for your employees. These hazards also wreak havoc on expensive equipment such as carts and forklifts, in addition to creating navigational hazards.
A floor coating enables your concrete facility floor to bear the weight of heavy equipment without cracking or flaking. It also eliminates the porosity of concrete, which can harbor bacteria. More importantly, a floor coating creates a slip-resistant surface, making your facility safer for employees—whether on foot or operating equipment.
Raw, uncoated concrete floors aren’t tough enough to withstand steady impacts and chemical exposure. In commercial settings, flooring is prone to abuse. As a result, it’s important that your flooring is outstandingly durable.
Floor coatings are ideal for many commercial settings. These settings might include:
• Chemical plants
• Industrial facilities
• Logistics centers
• Manufacturing plants
• Warehouses
In these settings and others, floor coatings do a remarkable job of resisting chemicals, such as cleaners, bleaches, oils and greases. Additionally, they resist scratching and scuffing.
The following entries highlight a few of the top floor coating choices for industrial settings.
Epoxy Floor Coating
In addition to the previously mentioned benefits, epoxy floor coating does a great job of resisting chemicals. It also withstands fire and heat.
Like all floor coatings, epoxy decreases slippage, increasing traction for carts, forklifts and work boots—and, in turn, it improves worker safety. It also does a phenomenal job of resisting daily impacts.
Polyurethane Floor Coating
Polyurethane flooring is also resistant to chemicals. However, it’s particularly effective at resisting harsh solvents, such as paint thinner. It also does a remarkable job of withstanding intense shifts in temperature and humidity.
Moreover, polyurethane is more flexible than epoxy. It’s also more resistant to scratches and abrasions. Also, it does an even better job at absorbing impacts.
Novolac Floor Coating
Novolac flooring is also highly chemical and heat resistant. In fact, it can resist powerful acids.
Furthermore, novolac is highly durable. As a result, it’s ideal for facilities with considerable pedestrian and vehicle traffic.
Novolac requires a two-layer application. It offers the best possible protection for your concrete flooring, even under the most extreme conditions.
Urethane Mortar Coating
A urethane mortar coating has extraordinary resistance to heat and thermal shock. It also resists a range of organic and inorganic acids and solvents and it contains no volatile organic compounds (VOCs).
Urethane mortar also cures quickly. Accordingly, this type of coating is ideal for installations that require minimal business disruption.
Choosing the Right Concrete Floor Coating
The right floor coating can extend the service life of your facility’s flooring. There are a few points that you should consider when making your selection:
1. You’ll want to think about the condition of your existing concrete slab. It’s vital to make any needed repairs before the installation of your floor coating.
2. You also want to think about the operating conditions of your facility. You’ll want to choose a floor coating with a history of performance that meets your needs in this regard.
3. Here, it’s helpful to assess the service life of various floor coating options. Ultimately, you’ll want to weigh the cost of the installation versus the benefits that you’ll receive.
Looking for a High-Quality Industrial Flooring System?
Hopefully, you have the information you need to make an informed floor coating decision. If not, there’s help.
An expert floor coating installation will extend the service life of your facility flooring. However, a floor coating is only as good as the installer.
Concrete Coatings of the Carolinas has delivered high-quality, durable coatings for industrial and government clients since 2013. We have an extensive line of floor coatings to meet your needs. We’re committed to delivering customer satisfaction, and we’ll gladly help you find the best solution for your facility.
Contact Concrete Coatings of the Carolinas today at (980) 207-4735 in Charlotte or (919) 460-7100 in Raleigh to learn more about extending the service life of your facility’s concrete flooring. Alternatively, please feel free to schedule a free consultation online.
