A Step Towards Safety: Choosing the Right Electrical Matting
Workplace safety is critical for all employees, and one area that can often be overlooked is the right choice of electrical matting. If employees are working in an environment that has a high level of electrical currency, then the use of electrical safety matting will help dampen the risk of serious electric shock to employees and equipment. This also helps to ensure the company is up to date on its own health and safety measures.
Keep on reading to find out how you can choose the right electrical matting, ensuring a safe working environment for all.
Types of Electrical Matting:
One of the first steps would be to look at the type of electrical matting to best suit your needs. The market offers a variety of electrical mattings, each suited for different environments and electrical voltages.
The most common types include:
Rubber Insulating Mats: Known for their high dielectric strength and insulating properties, ideal for high-voltage areas.
They are useful for operating switchboards, live LV-HV switchgear, substations, transformers and electrical workstations. They protect workers against electrical shock by absorbing the power, preventing a free flow of electricity. This can also reduce the risk of a fire, which will increase safety for workers, and also protect the equipment the company uses to work
Non-Conductive PVC Mats: Non conductive PVC mats (which stands for Polyvinyl chloride) a synthetic These are versatile, offering moderate insulation and are suitable for general purpose applications. These types of rubber mats can be useful options for the healthcare sector, laboratories, and research centres. These mats are also low maintenance, reducing the need for you to replace them as time goes on. Not only this, but they also are scratch and stain resistant.
Switchboard Matting: This type of matting is specifically designed to provide safety in front of switchboards and high-voltage equipment. Examples of this can include substations, transformers, switches, electrical panels, engine rooms and generators.
How long does electrical matting last?
Like other ‘flooring’ that arguably is used in a high-traffic area, how long these mats last depends on the way they are maintained. On average, mats such as the ones described above can last between 1 and 3 years, however high use mats could last 6 months or less.
To ensure your electrical matting is being effectively maintained, consider a health and safety check every couple of months.
