The Business Cost of Slips and Fatigue in Food Manufacturing

The Most Expensive Mat Could Be the Wrong One

Imagine two mats sitting on a procurement spreadsheet.

• One costs less.
• Easy decision?
• Not necessarily.

Put that mat into a dry packing area and it has one job to do. Put it beside a food production line exposed to water, oils, fats and food debris and you’re asking something very different of it.

If the product isn’t suitable for the environment, its purchase price quickly becomes the wrong measure of value.

Before asking “How much does it cost?”, it can be more useful to ask:

“What do we need it to do?”

That small change in question can lead to a much better buying decision.

One Slip Can Travel Further Than You Think

A slip happens in one place.

Its consequences don’t necessarily stay there.

Picture a busy production line. An incident occurs and work in that area has to stop while the situation is dealt with.

Now the knock-on effect begins.

Production is interrupted. A colleague may be unable to continue their shift. Other team members have to respond. Stock may be affected. Schedules may have to change.

The precise cost of workplace accidents will vary considerably from one incident and business to another, but the principle is important:

The cost isn’t necessarily limited to the incident itself.

For food manufacturers working to demanding production schedules, operational disruption can have consequences elsewhere in the business too.

That’s why managing slips and trips in food manufacturing should be considered as part of the wider operational picture, rather than as an isolated floor-safety issue.

When Production Goes Up, Your Margin for Disruption Goes Down

Peak production doesn’t suddenly invent new floor hazards.

The puddle was already a problem.

The oil was already slippery.

Your colleague was already spending hours standing at the workstation.

What changes is the environment around them.

Higher output can mean increased movement, busier production areas and greater pressure to keep everything running to schedule.

And when you’re already working hard to meet demand, the last thing you need is an avoidable interruption.

That’s why preparing for increased production should include looking down as well as looking ahead.

What is happening on your floor now that could become a bigger problem when things get busier?

For those responsible for food industry health and safety, identifying those risks before a production peak gives you an opportunity to act before they become operational problems.

Not Every Cost Starts With a Slip

Some workplace problems are dramatic.

Fatigue usually isn’t.

There’s no sudden crash. No production line necessarily comes to an immediate stop.

Instead, someone stands at the same production or packing station. Hour after hour. Shift after shift.

For employees whose roles involve prolonged standing, the suitability of the workstation matters.

Anti-fatigue matting can help provide a more comfortable standing surface and can form part of a wider approach to managing prolonged standing at fixed workstations.

But comfort isn’t the only consideration. If you’re building the business case for anti-fatigue matting, our Anti-Fatigue Matting ROI Calculator can help you explore the potential return on investment for your workplace.

So when considering workplace fatigue in manufacturing, don’t look only at how people move around your facility.

Look at where they stop.

Where are your team standing for extended periods? What surface are they standing on? And has the workstation been set up with prolonged standing in mind?

Those questions can reveal risks that are much easier to overlook than a visible spill.

The Cheapest Mat Isn’t Necessarily the Lowest-Cost Solution

Purchase price matters. Particularly when you’re managing costs across multiple production areas.

But comparing workplace matting purely on initial price can overlook what you actually need the product to do.

A mat used around water and drainage has different requirements from one exposed to oils and fats. In areas where contaminants increase the risk of slipping, slip-resistant matting may form part of the solution. A mat at a predominantly dry standing workstation, where prolonged standing is the primary concern, has a different job again. An unsuitable product may offer poor value if it doesn’t adequately address the reason you bought it in the first place.

Instead, start with your environment:

• What contaminants are present?
• Does liquid need somewhere to drain?
• Is slip resistance important?
• How much time does your team spend standing?
• How will the area be cleaned?
• What level of traffic will the mat experience?
• What does the working environment demand from it?

Value comes from matching the solution to the problem.

Stop Buying Mats. Start Solving Floor Problems.

There isn’t one perfect mat for every food manufacturing facility.

And there shouldn’t be.

A wet area requiring drainage has different demands from an oily production environment. A dry packing station where someone stands for much of their shift presents another challenge altogether.

That’s why at COBA, we encourage you to start with the problem, not the product.

Once you understand what’s happening underfoot, choosing an appropriate solution becomes much easier.

COBA has been helping businesses solve workplace floor-safety challenges for decades. That experience means we can help you understand the demands of your environment and identify matting suited to the job - rather than simply pointing you towards a product.

The Number Worth Thinking About

So, what does workplace matting cost?

It’s a perfectly reasonable question.

But perhaps it shouldn’t be the first one.

Ask instead:

“What could the problem I’m trying to solve cost my business?”

Because value isn’t simply about paying less today.

It’s about choosing a solution that’s appropriate for your environment, your operation and the people who work there.

The right mat starts with the right question.

Find the Right Solution for Your Environment

Different areas of your food manufacturing facility can present very different challenges.

Use MatBrain™ to answer a few questions about your working environment and narrow down the workplace matting options suited to your requirements.