Sunday10 November 2013

CPD 24 2013: Specifying entrance flooringsystems17 October 2013

A building’s entrance flooring system plays a key role, and it is vital to understand how to specify to meetthe demands of legislation and provide efficiency and visual appeal. This CPD module is sponsored byForbo

How to take this module

To take this module read the technical article below and click through to amultiple-choice questionnaire, once taken you will receive your results and ifyou successfully pass you will be issued automatically with a certificate to printfor your records.

The vast majority of the dirt that enters buildings isbrought in on the soles of shoes and the tyres ofwheeled traffic. This wet and dry soiling makesinteriors look dirty and unattractive and cause damage

to interior floor coverings and finishes. It also creates unnecessary health and safetyhazards: according to the Health & Safety Executive (HSE), slips, trips and fallsmade up more than half of all reported major workplace injuries in 2010-11.

A building’s entrance flooring system (EFS) therefore is a key consideration in thedesign of any main entrance point. This CPD aims to provide an understanding ofhow to specify an EFS in order to comply with current legislation, including health and

safety guidelines and the Equality Act 2010.

LEGISLATION

Two main pieces of legislation affect the specification of EFSs:

BS 7953:1999, which provides guidance on the role of an EFS and product typesBS 8300: 2009+A1:2010, which advises on making entrances safe and accessible to all.

BS 7953:1999Part 3.1 of this standard defines an EFS in broad terms as an “installation of flooring materials designed toreduce the ingress of soil into a building or to reduce the transfer of soil from one part of a building toanother”. It states that an EFS is necessary in order to:

Reduce the risk of slip injuriesProlong the life of the interior floor finishReduce the cost of ongoing maintenance.

The standard also outlines how the EFS should perform these functions: “The entrance flooring systemshould scrape, wipe and retain soil, making contact with both feet of people entering the building and, inthe case of wheeled traffic, with the circumference of the wheels.”

This last stipulation gives an indication of the appropriate size of an EFS. The wheels of a wheelchair havea diameter of 56-66cm, which equates to a circumference of 172-207cm. For the wheels to turn twice onthe EFS (in order to remove as much dirt and moisture as possible), the minimum length of the systemwould be about 4m.

Of course, many buildings don’t have this amount of space — products used in compact spaces will beoutlined later in the CPD.

BS 8300: 2009+A1:2010

This standard is a code of practice for ensuring that the design of buildings and their approaches meet theneeds of disabled people. It emphasises the need for ease of movement for wheelchairs in buildingreception areas, stating: “The approach from the principal entrance to the reception point should be direct,free from obstruction, have a firm, slip-resistant surface and allow easy manoeuvre of a wheelchair.”

The standard directly addresses the need for entrance matting systems conforming to BS 7953, to reduce“the ingress of soil and surface moisture to buildings, or their transfer between adjacent internal areas, [totheir] lowest practical level”.

Because of the need for a firm surface, it advises against the use of loose-lay mats and coir. It also advisesthat an EFS use colours that contrast with adjacent floor coverings in order to help comply with theguidelines for the visually impaired.

PRODUCT TYPES

BS 7953:1999 part 3.1 mentions a number of suitable product types. These include:

Grille, random loopedThese mats are for external and internal applications and help to remove heavy areas of dirt and grit. Theycan include scraper bars, typically in aluminium, brass or PVC, and rubber or polyamide wiper strips. Thescrapers and wipers can be incorporated in either an open or closed construction. An open construction isparticularly suitable for external use and allows removed particles and moisture to fall through the opensections in the mat, to be collected and stored in the matwell. A closed construction is suitable for interiorand transitional areas. Soil removed from shoes and wheel treads is collected within the mat itself.

Ribbed These mats are laid with the ribs at right angles to the direction of traffic. The ribs act to trap and retain soiland moisture in the first few steps inside an entrance area. Ribbed mats come in a wide variety of typesand prices.

Textile Textile entrance flooring comes in a wide range of colours and textures, with aesthetic benefits such as the

ability to blend in with interior floor finishes. Different types of yarn can be used to help absorb moisture,brush soil from shoes and withstand heavy pedestrian and wheeled traffic.

Modular Many flooring types come in modular systems that clip together, making them easy to transport and stock,and allowing specifiers to make use of a mix of products.

Supplementary mats It should be remembered that loose mats can introduce a range of hazards. Extra matting should beconsidered a temporary fix, not a permanent feature. At the first opportunity, improve the entrance design.The HSE’s Watch Your Step campaign strongly advises against the use of loose-lay mats.

FACTORS TO CONSIDER

Volume of traffic The level of footfall and wheeled traffic will be the key factor in determining the most suitable product.

For areas of high traffic, it is important to think about aspects such as colour (light colours will show signs ofsoiling more quickly) and durability.

Consider the thickness of the mat and whether it softens the sound of footsteps. Note too that some matsare designed to be reversible, lengthening their service life.

Type of traffic Are pedestrians the only building users or must your system cater for wheeled traffic? Entrance flooring inairports, hospitals and hotels, for instance, will need to withstand the weight and movement of vehiculartraffic and trolleys.

In supermarkets, where there may be front-loading and the use of cherry pickers, it is essential that theEFS is suitable for use with very heavy static and dynamic loads.

Even where there will not be heavy traffic through the entrances, maintenance vehicles may have to standon the mat — for example, to clean windows.

Heathrow Airport installed Nuway Tuftiguard Heavy-Duty Classicmatting in Terminal 5, which sees over 35 million visitors a year.

Soil type Car parks, garage forecourts and loading bays generate oily, greasy deposits. High street shops needentrance systems with high water absorbency. Fine sand can be a problem in coastal areas, where anopen construction in external areas may be necessary.

External environment In addition to the soil type, the surrounding built environment is a key factor. For example, is the outsideentrance covered or are people walking straight from a wet area into the building? Is the entrance on awindy corner where a lot of dirt could be blown in?

Entrance configurationIn revolving or double-door systems, people shuffle as they walk through, so these systems help the EFSwipe the soles of shoes. With automatic doors, visitors stride through, so the floor system has to be muchlarger to be effective.

Aesthetics The appearance of an EFS is particularly important, as it is one of the first impressions of a building. Thereare many ways to personalise an entrance, including cutting or printing logos onto textile systems.

Sustainability Check that the product that you are thinking of specifying has been Breeam assessed. Note that rigidsystems have no Breeam rating. Some textile systems use recycled yarns.

Fire resistance For areas with a heightened risk of fire, some flooring types can be supplied with a flame-retardant latexbacking.

Zoning Designing an entrance systemaround zoning principles will ensureits effectiveness. For example, for aheavy-traffic shopping centre,separate the system into thefollowing three areas:

External primary matting:Useproducts with an open constructionthat removes coarse dirt, madefrom materials suitable for outsideuse, such as rubber.Interior primary matting:Thiscontinues the work of the first zonebut also starts to remove moisture.Secondary interior matting: Thisis usually a textile product thatremoves the final traces of moistureand dirt and also has improvedaesthetics.

Installation There are two options for rigidentrance flooring systems: recessedor surface-mounted. Recessedmatwells allow the system to sit atthe same level as surroundingflooring. Where there isn’t the optionto dig down, mats must be surface-mounted and fitted with rampssuitable for wheeled traffic.

Case study: Aviva Stadium, DublinSource: Gareth Byrne

Nuway Heavy Duty Classic entrance matting was installed in the stadium’s entrance areas.

The Aviva Stadium opened in 2010 on the same central Dublin site as its predecessor, the historicLansdowne Road stadium.

The new building, designed by Populous and Scott Tallon Walker, hosts national football and rugbymatches and many other events. With such a high volume of traffic passing through the doors on aregular basis, the entrance and exits required a flooring system that would withstand intensive use.

Forbo’s Nuway Heavy Duty Classic entrance matting was installed in all of the internal premiumentrance areas on the ground floor of the east and south stands and the third floor of the west stand,along with the players’ and VIP entrance areas.

This product was specified with a grey pile wiper strip and an aluminium scraper bar to effectively

Postscript:

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scrapeandretainsoil andmoisture.

Allturnstilesin theheavytrafficareas onthe firstfloor arefitted withForbo’sNuway

Tuftiguard Plain engineered flooring with an unbuffed wiper strip and an aluminium scraper bar. Therigid engineered mats are able to scrape off the worst of the soil and moisture brought in on the soles ofshoes or treads of wheeled vehicles. This helps to keep busy internal areas clean and dry and minimisethe risk of slipping.

BD’s free continuing professional development distance learning programme is open to everyone whowants to develop and improve their professional knowledge. These modules can contribute to yourannual CPD ctivity and help you maintain membership of professional institutions and bodies.

This module will contribute 1 hour towards your CPD obligations. If successfully completed, certificateswill be distributed two weeks after the module closes.

Duration: 1 hour

Module 24 Deadline: November 29 2013

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Readers' comments (2)

Shiva Sedai | 27 Oct 13 6:48 am

I can't find the multiple questionnaire.

Andrew Morris | 27 Oct 13 10:13 am

I want to go to a Specifying entrance flooring systems party.

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