Technical support area

Accessibility and support

Understanding the Equality Act 2010 
The Equality Act 2010 has replaced the Disability Discrimination Act and in general carries forward the protection that the Disability Discrimination Act provided for disabled people. The Disability Discrimination Act was repealed in October 2010.

The Equality Act requires accessible environments to be provided for disabled people, either in their place of work or for access to goods, services or facilities (public spaces). Those commissioning new buildings or adaptations to existing buildings must consider the implications of the Equality Act and their ability to provide buildings that do not discriminate against disabled people (physical or mental impairments).

Colour Reflectance (contrast) 
The Equality Act gives guidance on good visual contrast for the visually impaired between various elements of a building by the use of Light Reflectance Values (LRV).

LRV is a general term for contrast and is measured as the proportion of useful light reflected by a coloured object, floor, wall or ceiling. LRV is measure on a scale of 0 to 100 where 0 is perfect black and 100 perfect white (in reality 0 and 100 are unobtainable colours). According to NCS Colour Centre in practical terms black is approx 6 and white approx 85.

The current guidelines from Building Regulations Approved Document M on contrast are that a minimum difference of 30 LRV points should be specified for adjacent surfaces to ensure that visually impaired people are not discriminated against. In specific example of ceramic tiles this difference should be between:

• Floors to walls
• Ceiling to walls
• Handrails to walls
• Sanitary fittings to walls

Visual contrast between floors and walls is important in enabling visually impaired people to assess and gauge the size and shape of a room. It is important the greatest visual contrast occurs where the floor meets the wall 
(skirting) as this gives the most accurate visual indication of the extent of the room. Where provided, skirting’s should contrast visually with the floor and be similar in colour and tone to wall surface.

Cleaning and Maintenance

Maintaining the appearance and characteristics (especially slip resistance values) of floor tiles is achieved with the implementation of a suitable cleaning regime. It must be stressed that the cleaning material manufacturers instructions must be followed at all times. Regular and correctly undertaken cleaning should maintain a flooring product as close to its original state as possible. Incorrect or infrequent cleaning will adversely affect the properties of the flooring material and increase potential hazards.

Generally the smoother the surface of the tile the easier it is to clean. However, it should be noted that textured products, required to give adequate slip resistance when wet, can be satisfactorily cleaned – the cleanability of a surface is more a function of the contaminant than the texture of the surface. It is therefore essential when selecting and specifying a floor finish that the use of the area and likely contaminants, safety, aesthetic and hygiene requirements are all taken into account at the specification stage. Cleaning can be split into several categories, each of which is dependant upon installation type (i.e. wet barefoot areas, shopping malls, public toilets, etc.) and frequency of usage (i.e. high, medium or low traffic):

Builders Clean

This should be undertaken before a floor is being brought into service. The builders clean removes any residual film leftover from the grouting operation and is a one-off cleaning process. This must be carried out as any grout residues left behind will act as a key for dirt resulting in the installation being difficult to clean. Temporary sealers may be used to facilitate cleaning off after laying which can be removed with the use of alkaline detergents.

Cementitious Grouts

The use of a mild acid de-cementing solution followed by thorough rinsing will remove all but the most stubborn of cement residues.

Epoxide Grouts

It is essential that ALL residue must be removed from the surface of the tiles during the grouting process and before the resin cures. Failure to achieve this will result in a very difficult and expensive process using gel-type epoxide removers.

Routine Cleaning

The regular use of detergents or other cleaning agents, which are excessively acidic or alkaline could cause irreversible damage to the ceramic tile surface. Degreasing agents that contain wax, sodium silicate or other additives which leave sticky deposits and thus retain dirt should be avoided. Oil residues or build-ups of wax can be removed with a proprietary wax and polish remover.

Manual Cleaning

In normal conditions tiles require little maintenance and can be easily kept clean by sweeping and then mopping with warm water to which a neutral or nearly neutral detergent has been added. The cleaning solution should remain on the floor for 5 to 15 minutes (see manufacturers instructions) to allow it to penetrate and emulsify the dirt after which it should be removed by rinsing thoroughly with clean water. The rinsing process removes the dirt so the use of clean water is important.

Mechanical Cleaning

For larger floor areas or areas of textured tiles the use of a rotary scrubbing machine is recommended (machines should not be used at speeds in excess of 450rpm). The choice of brush type is very important. Union mix brushes are suitable for light washing and scrubbing, polypropylene brushes are suitable where dirt deposits are especially heavy. The cleaning solution should remain on the floor for 5 to 15 minutes (see manufacturers instructions) after which a secondary scrubbing action and clean mop or suction should be undertaken to remove the solution and dirt.

High Pressure Cleaning

Tiles seldom require the use of high-pressure cleaning. Whilst the process will not damage the tiles care must be taken to avoid erosion of the grout. To minimise grout erosion ensure that the water beam is continually moved from side to side and not allowed to concentrate on the grouted joints. Water containing abrasives or steam cleaners should not be used on ceramic tiles.

Wet Areas

Wet barefoot areas may attract build-ups of body fats, soaps, oil residues and organic growth. To prevent these a mildly acidic cleaning agent used regularly is preferable. If build-up has been allowed a preliminary deep clean with a proprietary cleaner is required followed by regular use of a mildly acidic cleaning agent solution.

Periodic Deep Cleaning

Occasionally foreign matter may cause surface marks that cannot be removed with the usual cleaning processes and materials. If the surface mark cannot be removed, other materials should be considered (it’s advisable to experiment on a small inconspicuous area):

Paint - Paint Remover

Organic Stains - Bleach / Washing Soda

Rust - Masonry Cleaner

Oil / Fat / Grease - Detergent or Degreaser

Mould Growth - Bleach / Proprietary Cleaner

Tea / Coffee / Ink - Bleach / Proprietary Cleaner

Abrasive powders or cleaners should never be used on glazed or polished tiles.

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For more information please call the Technical helpline on 01782 524111 or email ddunlop@johnson-tiles.com
 

HSE Slip Resistance Guidelines

Slip resistance
The slip resistance of a floor finish is the most important safety consideration. Effective and suitable slip resistant characteristics will reduce the likelihood of slipping, particularly for older, mobility impaired and visually impaired people.

Slip resistance of a floor depends upon many factors:

• The roughness of the surface
• Whether it is wet or dry when in use
• Whether the floor finish is regularly contaminated by liquids or other contaminants.
• The wear characteristics of the floor finish
• Implementation of a suitable cleaning and maintenance schedule

In addition to the above there are other factors that can affect the slip resistance and performance characteristics of a floor finish, these include:-

• Lighting and glare
• Humidity
• Slopes and ramps
• Visual or acoustic distractions
• Type of footwear worn

Where there is a change of floor material or texture there is an increased risk of slipping or tripping if the coefficient of friction values of the two materials varies greatly. This can be minimised by locating the material or finish change at predictable locations ie door or wall openings.

Slip resistant floor finishes are recommended for use in areas where safety is paramount ie entrances, ramps, stairs and landings, escape routes, commercial kitchen areas, areas adjacent to hazardous machinery or activities and areas subject to frequent wetting ie shower floors, swimming pool surrounds – this is not an exhaustive list.

Based on recommendations from the HSE, you should use floor finishes that achieve a Pendulum 4S (slider 96) of 36+ for shod foot areas,and/or a Pendulum TRL (slider 55) of 36+ for wet barefoot areas, to achieve a low slip potential environment. We personally suggest using a structured tile with Pendulum 4S (slider 96) of 40+ for external floor areas and Pendulum TRL (slider 55) of 40+ for wet barefoot areas, as good practice, due to possible slight variation from tile to tile and possible cleaning and maintenance issues.

The table below illustrates how the HSE categorise the results from the Pendulum test for both the 4s (slider 96) and TRL (slider 55).

Classification	Pendulum Test Value (PTV)
High slip potential	0 - 24
Moderate slip potential	25 - 35
Low slip potential	36+

 

Maintaining slip resistance of floor finishes
The two main factors that affect the ongoing slip resistance performance of a floor finish are wear resistance and surface contaminants.

Wear resistance
Of all the floor finishes available to the commercial specifier un-glazed porcelain tiles have the greatest wear resistance. Correctly specified and installed unglazed porcelain tiles would be expected to last the lifetime  of the building. The slip resistant characteristics of an un-glazed porcelain tile are maintained with the implementation of a suitable cleaning regime.

Surface contaminants
Areas subject to expected surface contaminants should incorporate the use of slip resistant floor tiles. The degree of slip resistance changes with the predicted contaminant – for example water as a contaminant has less of an effect on slip resistance than gear oil or margarine. Further details can be found on www.hse.gov.uk

Falls in floors
Where fluid contamination cannot be avoided HSE guidance recommends that floors be laid to falls so that the majority of the contamination drains away to properly constructed outlets. The use of profiled tiles allows the contaminant to collect in the low areas whilst the high areas remain relatively dry or at least above the surface of the contaminant. The degree of slope of a fall depends upon many factors including – surface contaminant, degree of usage, affected area etc. As an example a minimum fall of 1:50 is recommended in the “Specifiers Handbook for Inclusive Design – Internal Floor Finishes” available from RIBA Bookshops:www.ribabookshops.com

Locations subject to surface contamination
Swimming pools and wet areas
Floor finishes to wet barefoot areas (showers, wet change facilities, swimming pool steps and surrounds etc) must be slip resistant when wet and have a non-abrasive surface.

• Should be easy to keep clean so that the slip resistance of the floor material is maintained at all times.
• Should have a texture that is as comfortable as possible for bare feet.
• Should be laid to falls.
• Should incorporate flush drain covers wherever possible Should use floor finishes that achieve either category “B” or category “C” slip resistance when tested by DIN51097 Wet Ramp Test. (Category “C” has greater slip resistance than category “B” – in certain locations only category “C” is suitable).

Commercial kitchens
Hygiene and slip resistance are extremely important in commercial kitchens.  Kitchens are likely to not only receive water contamination but also wet and dry foods and oils and greases from cooking either through spillage or splashing.

Floors for commercial kitchens should provide sufficient surface roughness to create a slip resistant finish. Roughness values of over 20 microns are normally adequate (“Specifiers Handbook for Inclusive Design – Internal Floor Finishes” available from RIBA Bookshops) for areas that are frequently or permanently wet.

Floor finishes should also be easy to clean and stain resistant to maintain hygiene.

Further information on slip resistance and good practice for flooring is available from the HSE website www.hse.gov.uk/slips

Surface microroughness
Testing surface microroughness with a roughness meter, is subject to on-going research and subsequently is not subject of a British Standard like the Pendulum test. However when surface microroughness data is used to supplement pendulum data, research has shown it gives a good indication of slipperiness in water contaminated environments.

Surface microroughness has limitations, and is unsuitable for measuring undulating, profiled or very rough floors. Classic examples of this are raised profile tiles such as Kerastar Discface, which a roughness meter cannot measure effectively. Further information is available at www.hse.gov.uk

Ramp Tests
The German ramp test is used to generate the DIN 51130 R ratings and DIN 51097 ABC ratings used commonly in North Europe. These tests can only be carried out in a laboratory, so does not allow in-situ testing of materials.

R Ratings (DIN 51130) - This is a shod foot test which uses oil as a contaminant. These results are interpreted into 5 groups, R9 to R13. R9 being the slipperiest and R13 being the least. Please note: R9 is not suitable for areas requiring slip resistance. The are no such categories as R1 - R8.

ABC Ratings (DIN 51097) - This a wet barefoot where a soap solution is applied as a contaminant, the results from this test are placed into three categories:

• Class A - Dry areas including dry changing areas, dry barefoot corridors
• Class B - As A plus pools surrounds, communal showers, pool beach areas, wet change areas
• Class C - As A and B plus pool surround inclines, walk through pools, Jacuzzi floors and seats, inlined pool edges and steps

R and ABC rating have generally been used to assess product suitability in the UK. However this is changing dramatically in accordance with recommendations from the HSE with the preferred test method being the Pendulum test.

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