the Caissenationale d'assurancemaladiedes travailleurs salarie¬s (Liotet al.,
1998)or in the British `Guidelinesfor the design and construction of floorsfor
foodproduction area'(Timperley,2002).
The timenecessary for the construction of a floorencompasses preparation of
the subfloor, timefor application and time to full cure.End-usersoftenask for a
rapidconstructionand particularly for a possibility of rapidrepair or rapid
refurbishment. Thisdecreasesthe choice of flooringmaterialbut, unfortunately,
someapplicatorsreduce the construction timeat the expenseof the quality. In
addition, for most resin-based floors,the right relativehumidity, temperature
and humidity of the substrate are to be respectedto obtaina goodfinalproduct.
Thatis why it is of prime importance to choosea qualifiedcompanywithtrained
employees.
9.6 Futuretrends
Twoof the mostimportantfuturetrendsshould be a betterrespectof the stateof
the art whenapplyingflooring materials and the systematic checking to ensure
the absence of gas bubbleholesand othertexturedefaults.
The suppliersof resin-basedflooring systems are continuously innovatingto
formulate improved products. However, those new formulations are trade
secrets. The AFFAR(the French associationof formulatorsand applicators of
resin-basedfloors) has announced new resin-basedfloorsable to withstand high
temperature (morethan 100 ÎC) and others thatare able to adhere to wet
substrate withshortcuringtimes.
Amongother possible trendsis antimicrobialflooring.Althoughsomefew
suppliers propose antimicrobialresin-based floorings, no antimicrobialeffect has
ever beendemonstratedin suchfloorings,to our knowledge.Only PVCfloorings,
whichare not consideredsuitable for foodprocessingareas (seeabove),and
whichall containan antimicrobialproduct becausePVCis a substrate for fungal
microorganisms,havea proven antimicrobialeffect (Carpentier, unpublished
results).Anyway, if antimicrobialresin-based flooring couldever exist,it would
haveto be cleanedand disinfectedas otherfloors.Indeed, antimicrobialmaterial
mayreducemicrobial contaminationwhen wet,but cleaning and disinfection
allowfor furtherdecreaseof surfacemicrobial contamination.
The application of ceramictilesin resinbed is increasing, especiallyin the
dairyindustry. It allows withstandinghighervariationof temperature,humidity,
etc. and smaller joints.
9.7 Sources of furtherinformationand advice
9.7.1 Slip-resistanceand accidentsat work
∑ European Agencyfor Safetyand Healthat Work:http://europe.osha.eu.int/.
Thiswebsiteprovidesstatisticsof accidents at workin the EU.
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