There are many types of matting products used for a variety of applications. We're going to discuss the types of matting products used within business and how they should be a staple product within any business with a premises.

There are a wide variety of matting products, and each mat has its own special and unique purpose. Matting is one of those overlooked products which provide huge benefits to your business.

Entrance matting is probably the most common type of commercial matting. These are available in outdoor and indoor mats and are completely different in design. These not only ensure that your business entrance area is clean but also prevents slips and trips. Slips in entrance areas cost the industry �500 million in 2012, due to the lack of entrance matting, needless to say, they play a vital role in safety.

Today though, we will be discussing matting products which are more behind the scenes - Anti fatigue matting. Factories today need to ensure that their staff are healthy, safe and focused. Many staff in factories are standing up for long periods of time on cold hard floors. This can result in a multitude of problems for the employee and the employer! Anti fatigue mats play a vital role in keeping the workforce happy and safe. In 2011, an interview was carried out with production lines from factories across the UK. This interview delved into reality of standing on cold hard concrete floors all day, and how this affected the staff. They then provided anti fatigue mats to the staff to test for a month to see the impact that the mats had on the staff. Before the anti fatigue mats were supplied, staff complained of whole body stiffness, headaches, the inability to concentrate after 40 minutes, and in some more serious cases, tendonitis and swelling of knee and hip joints. These physical ailments can be a life long issue if not addresses quickly, but potentially more concerning was how concentration lacked after 40 minutes of standing. These are staff who operate heavy machinery and tools, who stand for 9 hours a day! Needless to say, there is a serious problem with this if left untouched.

After the anti fatigue mats were supplied and used for a month, the staff reported a large increase in satisfaction at work. They no longer suffered when standing for prolonged periods of time, and could concentrate all day. Some noted how some mats were probably too soft, or not suitable for their workstation i.e. were too absorptive in the wet environment they worked in, so it is important that when buying anti fatigue mats that you consider the hardness, the material used, and the application it was designed for.