The Dirty Facts
Whether it's in hospitals, hotels, industrial and office suites, restaurants, shops, theatres or educational facilities, mats should be a key element in any building maintenance program. Without them, buildings incur hundreds, or even thousands of pounds a year in excessive cleaning costs.
Image and Housekeeping Costs
- "80% of the dust, dirt and grime in public buildings is “tracked in” from the outside". (Institute of Industrial Laundries)
- "Studies show that one square metre of commercial grade carpeting can accumulate half a kilo of dirt over one week’s period of time and up to twice as much in inclement weather". (International Sanitary Supply Association)
- "The estimated cost of removing a single kilo of dirt from an office building can Exceed £800". (International Sanitary Supply Association)
- “We estimate that only about 10% of the dirt is removed from carpets with a vacuum Cleaner.” (Georgia State University Test)
- “91% of shoppers select a store because of its appearance”. (Progressive Shopper)
- "Without entrance matting, 1500 people can remove 42% of the finish from the floor". (3M Company)
- “It is estimated 90% of building maintenance cost is labour”. (Cleaning Management)
Depreciation and Maintenance
- "Dirt and dust cause nine out of ten computer systems failures". (Louisiana Cooperative Extension Service)
- "A build-up of just 1mm of dust on a heating or cooling system can decrease Efficiency by 21%". (Environmental Protection Agency)
Contamination, Sanitation and Dust Control
- "86 billion pounds of dust settle over the U.S. each year". (“All the Real Dirt on Dust”, Discover Magazine, 1986)
- "Approximately 1 in 5 Americans are allergic to some component of dust". (Dr. Robert Pumphrey, Washington D.C.)
The Library of Congress has 322 books on dust. - "The average six-room dwelling takes in 40 pounds of dust in a year. A private home may have between 800,00 and 1,600,000 tiny bits of dust and particulate matter in every cubic inch of air". (TRSA Report “Dust Where We Work”)
Safety
On average every year in the UK slip and trip accidents account for:
- 33% of all reported major injuries
- 20% of over-3-day injuries
- 2 Fatalities a year
- 50% of all reported accidents to members of the public
- An annual bill of £512 million to employers
- A £133 million annual bill to the health service
- Incalculable human cost
- source: UK Health & Safety Executive
