Product category:
Slip, trip and fall protection
News Release from: Barema | Subject: Driflor disposable paper floor dryer
Edited by the Manufacturingtalk Editorial
Team on 21 September 2005
Low-cost floor dryer avoids wet,
slippery floors
Barema is launching its new invention, the Driflor, which is an after-mop disposable paper floor dryer which makes wet mopped floors bone dry and ready - and safe - for immediate use.
Wet floors are a safety hazard and an inconvenience to both staff and customers in any business that needs to carry out 'on the spot cleaning' Barema is launching its new invention, the Driflor, which is an after-mop disposable paper floor dryer which makes wet mopped floors bone dry and ready for immediate use
This article was originally published on Manufacturingtalk on 16 Sep 2003 at 8.00am (UK)
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And there is no need to bend down to use it, as the dryer has a long handle - much like a mop or broom.
Driflor uses a patented paper roll which absorbs the liquid in seconds; the paper automatically inches on with every stroke.
One revolution of the paper will dry 3m2 of wet mopped flooring.
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In trials a typical coffee cafe was using on average only one roll per week.
Already a hit in McDonalds in Ireland, where it is now used in all of the company-owned restaurants, Driflor will dry any type of hard flooring from tiles to wood to linoleum; it is suitable for drying any type of water based liquid or milk.
According to the UK's HSE (Health and Safety Executive), slips are the biggest single cause of accidents in the catering industry and 90 per cent of all slips are due to wet floors.
It stands to reason that if you drastically reduce the length of time the floor is wet, you have to proportionally reduce the number of slip falls.
"Driflor greatly reduces the slip risk presented by wet floors" was the conclusion reached by the UK HSL (Health and Safety Laboratory) when it independently tested the product.
The laboratory tests showed that a wet mopped tile was safe to walk on after two brush strokes of Driflor (copies of the report are available for inspection).
Besides drying the floor after mopping, Driflor is excellent for taking up the many dangerous small spills and splashes that occur many times a day in a typical busy restaurant.
The HSE carried out a fascinating test in a typical fast-food restaurant: when two small splashes the size of a 50 pence piece occurred, the staff immediately mopped the floor - causing a wet area of about 2m2.
The slip coefficient of the wet area was measured and the floor was found to be unsafe to walk on for a full seven minutes, even though the floor looked as dry as the rest of the flooring.
The HSE recommended that the splashes should have been dried with paper, which is what Driflor is all about.
But it is not just in the eating areas that Driflor is put to work; kitchen floors are a notorious slip hazard; when used with a degreasing spray, Driflor will both clean and dry the floor.
Slip coefficient readings taken on kitchen floors after mopping found that, when dried using Driflor, floors were much safer than when the floor was allowed to air dry.
Driflor is believed to be the world's first paper floor dryer and recently won a Chicago Athenaeum Good Design Award.
Driflor is a 'must' for any company that needs to carry out on-the-spot-cleaning.
Hospitals, supermarkets, nursing homes, shopping centres and airports can all benefit, as well as a variety of industrial, manufacturing and processing industries.
For more information, visit the company's website.
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