Have you ever slipped in a bathtub or shower? Have you ever injured yourself doing so? When you think about how frequently it has almost happened to you, or maybe it has happened to you, it should be no surprise that slip and fall incidents occur on bathroom floors and in bathtubs and showers many times every year.
Sadly, a wet surface in a bathroom, bathtub or shower, or a wet tile floor has been the cause of many painful injuries. With this in mind, have you considered adding a bathroom floor anti-slip coating?
Safe Step is a leading hospitality commercial bathtub refinishing company. You can ensure the safety of guests and restore bathtubs and showers to their original brilliance with Safe Step’s signature Anti-Slip Treatment.
As you are probably well aware, such potential slip and fall incidents are not only a hazard for your valued clientele, but they can also be hazardous for your business because they lead to costly insurance claims.
How do slip and fall accidents happen? What makes for a slippery tub or slippery shower? Why is it so vital to take safety measures? And, what is the best way to minimize the problem and increase your guests’ safety?
These questions will be answered for you in this short blog article.
What makes for a slippery tub or shower?
Wear and tear naturally occurs over time and is made worse with frequent use. The anti-slip treads manufactured into the bottom of hotel bathtubs or showers lose their effectiveness. Once these anti-slip treads get worn down, accidents are much more likely to happen.
The etch pattern becomes stained with dirt. Cleaning chemicals and disinfectants only add to the problem as they polymerize onto the safety pattern making the anti-slip texture ineffective and leaving grimy-looking stains.
The importance of taking safety measures with a bathroom floor anti-slip coating
You would never want to be in any way even partly responsible for one of your hotel guests having a slip and fall accident. However, every hotelier is concerned that an injury never happens, especially not due to any negligence on the hotel’s part.
However, you may feel that since a bathtub and shower are by definition always going to be wet, slippery surfaces when in use, the responsibility for caution should lie mostly with the guest who uses that facility. From both a legal and ethical viewpoint, this is only partially true.
Let’s focus on the liability angle of a slip and fall incident. There are several potential liability factors to consider before hastily dismissing the need to take further precautionary measures in your hotel bathrooms. These measures could include adding a slip-resistant floor coating or anti-slip formula to your hotel bathroom floors, bathtubs, and showers.
Firstly, it must be acknowledged that it might be quite difficult for someone to prove that a slip and fall incident was a case of negligence on the part of your hotel. Furthermore, verifying that the fault did not lie with the guest themselves would be just as challenging. After all, most likely, there will have been no witnesses to the incident.
Regardless of the outcome, however, consider just a few of the negative consequences of being sued, as follows:
- A determined personal injury lawyer is, at the very least, going to make you (or your designated senior staff member) pay in terms of time and the stress of dealing with them
- Negative publicity and resulting damage to your hotel’s reputation
- Insurance premiums may increase
Clearly, the more you do to guard against a potential slip and fall accident in your hotel bathrooms, the more protection there will be for both your guests and your business.
To learn more about what is expected in certain states, read this summary of a hotel’s responsibility.
“The bottom line here is that hotels have a duty to:
- determine whether their shower is reasonably safe,
- to inspect their showers regularly (to prevent it from becoming a dangerous condition),
- to timely discover dangerous conditions; and
- to use reasonable care in maintaining their showers (which can include, bath mats, handrails, safety strips, and other slip-resistant materials and cleaning products).”
The fact is, it is the course of wisdom to take precautionary measures with your hotel bathroom, shower, and bathtub surfaces. You can do this by adding traction in the form of anti-slip or anti-skid surface or floor treatments.
Bathroom floor anti-slip coating
Is it necessary to add an anti-slip coating, or would adding an anti-slip shower mat or bath mat suffice? Floor grip mats made from rubber, plastic, or vinyl have a textured top that affords grip, with the underside being equipped with pads that suction to the floor. These mats can be effective, but there are some significant negatives to consider, as follows:
- The mat itself can be a trip hazard
- Mats accumulate chemicals and can be a breeding ground for bacteria and mold
- If the mat is not correctly stuck to the floor, it can give a false sense of security and slip
- The mats often look ugly and detract from the aesthetics of your hotel bathrooms
On the other hand, Safe Step’s Paint-Free Anti-Slip Treatment leaves hotel bathroom surfaces stunningly clean and remarkably safe without detracting from the beauty of your bathrooms.
Safe Step offers a variety of anti-slip treatment options. All of these are done without paint (meaning no fumes) and can be applied quickly. A quick application process means there is no need for your hotel to suffer the inconvenience of any downtime. Your bathtubs, for example, after receiving the anti-slip coating, can be used immediately afterward.
Safe Step’s refinishing services include coatings made to withstand dirt, chemicals, and daily wear for years. Safe Step’s technicians will train your staff on how to maintain the coating easily.
Safe Step is trusted by some of the biggest hotel franchises in the United States:
- Hilton Worldwide
- Radisson Group
- Best Western
- Intercontinental Hotels Group (IHG)
- Marriott
- Omni
- Loews
Contact Safe Step today for a quote and safer bathrooms, bathtubs, and showers.