Today we hear from Belinda Bleakley – Our Head Flooring Consultant about what drives her and what makes her passionate about her job at SlipTest.

“I am passionate about people!

How does this fit with a Health and Safety Business testing floors for slipperiness?

Well, I firmly believe that if you look after the people, the people will look after you.

This applies in every aspect of business.

I once worked for an airline where the CEO’s attention to detail was legendary. Our planes were immaculate. His mantra was for cleanliness read safety. In other words, our customers were judging how safe we were through every last detail they came into contact with.

Your people and the people you come into contact within your buildings are judging how much you care and your professionalism through every aspect of what they see. This includes the presentation and safety of your floors.

It is no good having a swanky boardroom if the floor is dusty or the main entrance is dirty or damaged or feels slippery or unsafe underfoot.

People want to be able to trust the people they come into contact with and if their first impression is slipping on your floor you’re not off to a good start!

SlipTest Ltd is a small family run business and we care about helping you to ensure that you keep all people who have access to your buildings as safe as possible.

We have been established for over 20 years and during this time we have made it our business to understand the interplay between the way people behave and the performance and slip risks associated with all floor types.

Human Beings come in all sorts of different shapes and sizes. Some of us march with purpose, others shuffle. Some use wheels to help them get about, others use sticks or guide dogs. Some people are single-mindedly focused on their destination, with no awareness of the people and obstacles around them, others like to take in their surroundings and observe every detail. Some wear safety shoes, others like me, trip around in high heels!

All, at different times are at risk of slipping or tripping up. My Mum for example could trip up over the tiniest raised edge of a floor sticker! Whether we like it or not, slipping and tripping is part of life.

I took a call last week asking me about a ‘slip’ I had had, telling me that there was money set aside for my insurance claim! I hadn’t slipped and needless to say that I sent them on their way, but it reminded me that there are unscrupulous people out there who will look to exploit situations especially in these very uncertain times.

Keeping a floor safe is more than just running a mop or a scrubber dryer over it once per day. It’s about noticing how the floor is performing. Watching how people move on the surface in different weather and at different times of the year. In fact, the performance of the floor can change from morning to night depending on when it was last cleaned, the footfall and the levels of contamination.

Right now, hand sanitisers are appearing in buildings across our 4 nations. These are really important in the fight against Covid-19, but they are also a potential cause of slips. Notice what happens when people use them, often droplets go to ground and on their own and especially when mixed with water these can make the surface very slippery.

At SlipTest Ltd we help you to notice and manage all these subtle differences. We are passionate about ensuring that you have all the information you need to help you make the best decisions about the cleaning and maintenance of your floors so that all the people who come into contact with your floors feel safe and secure!