Time to upgrade your school door mats and other campus safety matting? Start here.

A high volume of foot traffic means schools, universities and colleges need surfaces that are resilient, slip-resistant and hard-wearing. Depending on the size and layout of your school, university or college, you’ll need protective mats for:

• Entrances
• Fitness, swimming and leisure facilities
• Residential communal bathrooms
• Kitchen, catering and bar areas
• Workshops (used by maintenance teams and tech classes)
• Laboratories, server rooms and other areas sensitive to static electricity
• Slippery outdoor walkways and high level walkways

• First, check that all entrance mats are still doing their job. If any are no longer effectively scraping shoes and wheeled traffic clean and absorbing liquids, it’s time to consider replacing them – a good quality entrance mat should prevent slips and trips, protect floors from damage, and reduce cleaning intervals.

• Consider the local weather throughout the year – if snow or heavy rain is likely, make sure to choose winter-ready mats with extra-absorbent carpet inserts and great drainage

• Think about the environment – do you need surface mounted walkways or recessed entrances? Are there any exterior accessibility needs, such as mats that won’t interfere with wheelchairs and other mobility aids?

• Are the campus entrance mats for temporary or permanent use (e.g. for portable classrooms during construction)?

• The perimeters of pools, shower areas and locker rooms can become slippery with just a small amount of water underfoot. When looking for extra protection for guests, students and faculty staff, make sure your pool, shower and wet area floor mats have excellent drainage

• Choose a mat with an etched or embossed surface with adequate cushioning so it’s comfortable for bare feet, while still providing a firm grip underfoot to prevent slips

• Look for mats containing antimicrobial and anti-fungal additives for continuous hygiene – a must-have in wet and humid environments where people are barefoot

• Consider whether the mat is easy to clean, and easy to move to clean the floor surface below (we recommend a one-piece construction mat that can be lifted or rolled, rather than tiled mats)

We recommend reading our guide on choosing the right mat for each zone of a kitchen, catering and bar based on its function. Here are the mats we recommend for these areas:

• Food prep counters: Herongripa
• Cooking stations: Vynagrip
• Washing up stations: Vynagrip or Floorline
• Refrigerated areas, like walk-in fridges and freezers: Vynagrip
• Service areas: Floorline or Heronair

• If there are wood or metal offcuts mats, a slip-resistant mat with fall-through is critical for underfoot safety
• Decide whether safety edging is needed to prevent trips when handling tools, delicate equipment or dangerous substances
• For laboratory mats and matting for workshops where people spend long-hours on their feet, look for mats with anti-fatigue properties suitable for the type of work being carried out – this will aid concentration, and help reduce accidents and the cumulative damage caused by standing on hard floors
• Choose anti-static floor mats for server rooms or laboratory environments where there’s risk of electrostatic discharge

• While single-ply roof membranes can generally withstand light foot-traffic, it’s not advisable to walk on them without a roof safety walkway as they can become very slick when wet. Large campus buildings often need maintenance on the roofs (for A/C units, solar panels, and more), and using roof protection mats to create safe pathways can help protect people working at heights:
  

  • Crossgrip PVC is a vinyl roof mat designed for the majority of types of flat commercial roofs

  • Crossgrip 20/20 combines all of Crossgrip PVC’s best features with additional four-way drainage and a 10-year warranty

  • Crossgrip TPO is compatible with TPO and EPDM roof membranes

• For safe pathways in slippery areas (particularly outside in snow and heavy rain), look for a diamond cut pattern for excellent traction underfoot, and an open-grid for drainage

• To ensure roof protection, look for roof walkway matting that sits at a raised height to help elevate workers off the roof surface

We supply safety matting to some of the UK’s largest universities, and to schools of all shapes and sizes across the country. If you need matting advice tailored to your campus’ needs, send us a message.