I am interested in your points of view on what sort of paint should be used on a factory floor. Where I work we have just finished repainting our factory floor with a high gloss finish masonary paint. That is where the problem lies as far as a lot of the workforace are concerned.

We use water and other liquids constantly and the floor gets wet. Being a gloss finish the water stays on top of the paint and makes the floor very slippery. One of my colleagues has argued that it is illegal for the company to use a gloss paint and that according to him "it has to has some kind of grit mixture in it if the floor may become wet".

I am wondering if he is right and if he is what sort of regs, or Acops, may cover his statement, or is there no restriction apart from common sense on what sort of paint a company can use on a factory floor.

Mike

martinw just beat me to it.

I am not aware of any regs that say you must use gritted paint, but the Workplace regs and ACOP
does cover conditions of floors etc ( eg Reg 12)
http://www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/priced/l24.pdf

Using gritted paint may be a way to comply - but there may be others.

Thanks for your advice I will try to get the matter raised at the next H&S meeting with regards to the Workplace regs and see what happens from there.

Mike

One thing to look at, if you go for the gritted paint route, actual floor paint with grit in it is extortionately priced.

We did it at my last place for working on top of fixed containers, we bought a good quaity enamel paint from B&Q (lots of it, and many bags of sharp sand.

Cost about a fraction of the advertised stuff, Job Done.

i actually got a sample of the grit paint from a H&S supplier, it was basically exactly the same stuff we made up.

But as has been said, repainting the floor may be the simplest option.

This should help too.

http://www.safetynewsand...s.co.uk/article.asp?c=22