Why are concrete floor repairs neglected?
A handful of common reasons given by industry professionals for not fixing concrete floor defects in their warehouse or factory premises until there has been some major incident include: * We didn't have time for warehouse floor repairs * There wasn't enough manpower * There was insufficient budget to hire a concrete floor repair contractor * It wasn't a business priority to maintain the industrial concrete floor * Factory floor repair work would have caused too much disruption * We had a lack of training and didn't see the benefits
It is not always easy to see the benefits of fixing your concrete floor, but once major concrete floor repair contract work is needed, or an accident has occurred & the cost to the business has become apparent, the circle of blame soon begins and these excuses are not good enough.
Why should repairing concrete floor be a priority?
At some time or another, every plant has spalls, holes, cracks, damaged control or expansion joint nosings. If the benefits of maintaining & properly repairing concrete floors were clear to everyone then irreparable damage to your business can easily be avoided through professional maintenance & care.
What follows are the top 5 benefits of professionally maintaining your warehouse concrete flooring so that these defects don't get out of hand.
Repairing concrete floors: top 5 business benefits
The following points describe common consequences of warehouse concrete surfaces that possess cracks, pot-holes or chemical damage. As concrete repair contractors, we help businesses avoid these pitfalls to maintain their operations & ultimately save on costs.
1. Prevent major damage & repairs to concrete floors
The more significant the damage to the concrete flooring, the bigger the repair job - and so the bigger the cost, time & disruption to your business operations. By identifying problems & having professionals evaluate the defects early on, concrete flooring contractors can put in place preventative actions that prevent further damage to you industrial concrete floor.
Cracks, for example, offer probably the biggest headache because they can arise from an number of sources: are they shrinkage cracks? Is the problem control joints? Expansion joints? Or are they perimeters of concrete broken due to impact or overloading? Have a professional concrete flooring repair contractor evaluate & prevent further damage to you industrial warehouse flooring.
2. Avoid vehicle damage & maintenance downtime
Forklift trucks are expensive, weigh about 4 tonnes on-average & the typical cushion-tired models are simply not intended for use on rough surfaces. It is no wonder then that the fork-lift drivers always detour to avoid that aisle with the pot-hole, or slow down to almost a halt to go over that crack, which always seems to be getting bigger.
Each time a fork-lift truck encounters a crack or pot hole, not only are the vehicle, carried goods and operator in for a jolt, but the rubber tyres deteriorate quickly. The expensive tyres will need replacing more often, the forklift hydraulics and motor components may become lose or damaged leading to costly repairs and lengthy maintenance downtime.
A final important point is that if damage to vehicles is caused by warehouse floor defects, then forklift truck manufacturers may refuse to honour their warranty.
3. Prevent staff injuries through jolts, trips & falls
Remember the fork-lift truck operator whom always avoids the aisle with the pothole? Well today he was particularly busy and went full speed into that pothole he normally so carefully avoids. He took a massive jolt and now has severe lower back pain and will be absent for at least the next three weeks.
Sprains, strains, back, neck, and repetitive strain injuries are the most common work place injuries. Don't increase the risk of work-place injuries through jolts, trips & falls that occur because of cracks or potholes in your concrete flooring. And don't risk the possibility of litigation & compensation claims either.
4. Maintain cleanliness & required hygiene standards
Cracks in concrete flooring surfaces are not only refuges for debris but also a source of the dust that forms from deteriorating concrete surfaces can make it's way all over the warehouse goods or the production facility. This makes cleaning an even bigger headache.
In food-production sites for instance, spalls or cracks in concrete surfaces should be a particular concern because they can become repositories for fresh produce. This will not only attract rats and insect infestations - which is bad enough - but the rotting food in cracks will become a breading ground for bacteria, mould and mildew.
Floor sweeping & cleaning machines will not reach deep into these cracks, & the food standards agency are unlikely to be impressed.
5. Maximise productivity
Returning once again to the sensible forklift operator whom, having been absent for three weeks with back-pain has returned to work fit & eager to get going again. You've had an internal review, closed the aisle where the incident occurred & have placed traffic cones over the remaining smaller potholes dotted around the concrete warehouse floor.
All forklift operators are now being super careful, swerving around the traffic cones but now the one remaining undamaged through-way is starting to look like the queue for the Dartford tunnel crossing. Meanwhile you're starting to get behind on shipping quantities that were never a problem before. The defects in your concrete flooring have started to clearly impact on productivity.
Summary
Industrial concrete floor repairs may not seem as urgent as fixing damaged doors or leaking roofs, yet the concrete floor is the work surface for your staff, your vehicles, & the platform on which your materials are stored.
By professionally repairing & maintaining your concrete floors through our industrial concrete floor contractor service, whether you have a warehouse, factory, manufacturing or food preparation facility, we can help ensure that these pitfalls are avoided.
