ATTENTION SHOPPERS! YOUR ABOUT TO GET HURT! In this video we find a trip hazard, this time at Lowe’s. See how the store placed multiple floor mats on top of each other as to create a potential trip and fall hazard.
The mat on the bottom is a drainage mat and designed for use in areas where water drainage is required, like a food prep area, and is not a good choice for this application! Furthermore, the drainage mat needs top have a beveled edge around its perimeter as to reduce the risk of a trip and fall.
The two thick foam mats laid on top of the drainage mat are known as anti-fatigue mats and are appropriate for locations where people are standing for long periods of time. Good choice but poor application!
The National Floor Safety Institute (NFSI) B101.6 “Standard Guide for Commercial Entrance Matting in Reducing Slips, Trips and Falls” (https://nfsi.org/nfsi-standards/standards/) states that floor mats are not to be placed on top of each other as to create a potential trip hazard. Furthermore, the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) requires changes in elevations (like the edge of a floor mat) greater than ¼” are to have a beveled edge.
Not certain as to why they placed these mats the way they did given that the area is one that customers would be expected to walk through they need to remove them.