How Floors Keep Students Safer

Is it possible to get students to stop running in halls? Well, that’s not our expertise, but here is what we do know. It is possible to make floors safer in the event a student is rushing to class, running to catch up with friends or sprinting to the cafeteria on pizza day. Rubber flooring can help keep students safer and school environments healthier too.

How? Rubber flooring is slip-resistant, and many are available in sheet and tile, as well as stair treads for school steps. The rubber surface is resilient and flexible so students and staff stay surefooted. Even when floors are wet from spills or snow and rain-soaked shoes and boots, they remain moisture resistant and very easy to clean. In some cases, the profile is also available in an embossed round design for additional texture.

Safety isn’t just about slip resistance. When it comes to flooring there is hygiene and environmental health to consider. Many brands of rubber flooring are resistant to fungi and bacteria and are stain resistant, smoke and fire resistant too. And this type of flooring can be a comprehensive healthy choice for materials in a school because some rubber flooring is FloorScore-certified, PVC-free and has low VOC emissions. Finally, rubber flooring absorbs noise, providing excellent acoustical performance — critical in learning environments.

Slips and fall prevention, cleanliness, noise reduction and smart designs are all considerations school planners and administrators must evaluate. But choosing flooring does not have to be complicated. Rubber flooring is available in a wide range of colors, patterns and profiles to deliver both performance and design for corridors, cafeterias, classrooms, science labs, stairwells and restrooms.

This article originally appeared in the issue of .

About the Author

Kendall Speer Ellis is the Marketing manager for The Stonhard Group. She can be reached at [email protected].

Featured

  • NWEA Report Recommends K–12 Natural Disaster Recovery Strategies

    The Northwest Evaluation Association (NWEA), a K–12 assessment and research organization, recently announced the release of a new playbook for schools and communities recovering from extreme weather events, according to a news release.

  • Illinois State University Breaks Ground on College of Fine Arts Transformation

    Illinois State University in Normal, Ill., recently held a groundbreaking ceremony for the Wonsook Kim College of Fine Arts transformation project, according to university news. The series of new constructions and renovations will upgrade spaces in Centennial East, the Center for the Visual Arts, and the Center for the Performing Arts, as well as replace the existing Centennial West facility with a new Commons Building.

  • North Carolina District Completes New Elementary School

    The Wake County Public School System (WCPSS) in Holly Springs, N.C., recently announced that construction on a new elementary school has finished, according to a news release. Rex Road Elementary School measures in at 133,000 square feet and is the fifteenth school that general contractor Balfour Beatty has completed for the district.

  • UCNJ Launches $30M Modernization of Physical Education Center

    The Union College of Union County (UCNJ) in Cranford, N.J., recently broke ground on a new $30-million modernization project for its Physical Education Center (PECK), according to a news release. The college partnered with DIGroup Architecture for the project’s design, transitioning the existing 42,000-square-foot structure into a campus hub for student athletics and campus life.

Digital Edition