In the past Workplace safety was something people saw as a necessary evil. Today however, Workplace safety is one of the many aspects that business owners as well as facility managers have started to prioritise, recognising that a safe workforce is more motivated and less of a financial burden. In fact, workplace safety is not only a requirement by Australian law, but it also has a proven effect in boosting productivity, employee retention and end product quality.

The importance of getting flooring right

In our dealings with clients we often get asked about workplace claims and while trends in serious rates of claims is going down, (according to the Key Work Health and Safety, 2015 report), Falls from the same height (including slips and trips on floor surfaces) is still the 3rd most serious cause of injury in Australia, representing 14% of all claims.  A serious claim is defined as a claim where the individual is away from work for one or more weeks. 

There are our variety of stories that highlight the damage and burden a workplace injury can cause, both for the individual involved and the business (lost productivity, increased insurance premiums, fines and penalties, business reputation, to name but a few). And it is frustrating as flooring specialists, that the issues causing businesses and employees so much angst  can be avoided, simply by getting your flooring solution right from the start

The dizzying array of flooring options can often be confusing. and all too often clients are unsure of which flooring type is the most appropriate for their building.

Our advice is simple: when it comes to industrial and commercial flooring, resilience and versatility should always be prioritised over aesthetic considerations.

While many of our clients have been drawn to flooring options such as ceramic tiles or a polished concrete floor because of their visual appeal, after listening to their requirements, we advise them to steer clear of these flooring solutions. In the same way that a nice hat cannot offer the same protection as a good quality helmet, a vinyl or concrete floor cannot offer the same protection, resilience and versatility as polyurethane, epoxy or MMA flooring solutions.

In fact, our composite flooring solutions offer numerous advantages over otherfloor coverings including:

• The ability to be prepared and installed overnight, limiting the down time for businesses and causing minimal –if any- loss of trade.
• Customisation of the colour, the non-slip co-efficient and the level of resistance to traffic, machinery, chemicals and cleaning agents.
• A range of available finishes; from a showroom quality finish to a hard-wearing factory floor
• Seamless floors with no grout or welds and therefore no opportunity for bacteria to grow in the cracks.

We have solutions to suit commercial flooring and industrial flooring requirements, be they restaurants, food production, pharmaceutical, showroom or workshop.
Contact our team to learn more about the advantages of our composite flooring solutions

Remedial Building Services was founded in 1969, to provide specialist building repair and upgrade services to commercial and large residential buildings.

Since we first started opened our doors we have grown in stature and in terms of the services we offer. Today, we offer clients services including:

• Waterproofing services
• Structural and façade repair
• Lintel Repair
• Carbon fibre strengthening
• Window replacement
• Brick ties
• Crack injection
• Brick repointing
• Heritage works
• Non-slip flooring
• MMA flooring solutions
• Commercial kitchen flooring

ATTENTION TO DETAIL

At Remedial we hold strongly to the belief that attention to detail should not be the domain of luxury items only. Our team – from the Directors, through to the project manager and staff on site – all work tirelessly to ensure that the products we use on site, the training our staff have and the solutions we recommend all combine to ensure that the services we provide to you are unequivocally, the best they can be.

INDEPENDENTLY QUALIFIED

As leaders within the industry we are constantly seeking to develop and to use best-practice. We aspire to only use the best staff and certified methodologies and products in completing our work. At all times, across all areas we service, we work closely with product suppliers, engineers and industry bodies, so you can be assured that our recommendations and our workmanship are outstanding.

Priding ourselves on our level of expertise and our commitment to providing only the best building solutions, we have obtained a number of professional accreditations including:

• ISO9001:2000 accreditation
• ISO14001:2004 accreditation
• ACRA membership
• ISTM membership
• HIA membership

GOVERNOR HOTEL, MACQUARIE PARK

Macquarie Park in Sydney has for the last two to three years, been the scene of major upgrades in terms of both infrastructure and commercial development. From new housing to commercial preceicnst and infrastructure the area looks nothing like it did before work began.
Recently were were appointed by The Governor Hotel ito provide services to help get them ready to launch to the public.

FLOORING SOLUTIONS

With the slab ready to go, the Remedial team were called in to turn a simple concrete surface into a durable, non-slip flooring surface across their public bars, back of house and kitchen areas. 
The owners recognised that whlst concrete flooring is durable for most wear and tear, hygiene factors, Workplace safety and ease in cleaning meant that a surface such as an epoxy were needed. Our team worked to apply a two coat epoxy solution in the clients chosen colours, helping to make the surface safe and ready for business. 

CARBON FIBRE STRENTHENING

The Governor hotel makes great use of outdloor spaces with BBQ and alfresco dining on the second level. What the client had learned however, was that the 110mm existing slab was insufficiently strengthened to bear the load. 
Our team recommended the installation of carbon fibre strips which act as a flexible, yet very strong enhancer of the concrete surface. Not only do these fit snuggly onto the existing surface making them hard to see, but they offer a very cost effective solution in adding load-bearing strength to the slab. 

SPECIALIST BUILDING AND FLOORING SERVICES

In the 45 plus years we have been in business, we have established ourselves as the pre-eminent supplier of specialist building services encompassing structural repair, Home Owners Warranty claim repairs and commercial flooring services.

Where we’ve watched competitors come and go, we have stayed strong, which we attribute to three core principles:

• Intimate understanding of the factors which lead to structural and safety concerns;
• The recommendation and application of solutions which eradicate the underlying problem and renew it to a desired state; and
• Transparency in our communication with clients.

 Whilst our experience has seen us travel across Australia on odd occasion we are predominantly focussed on providing the best services for NSW. Today, our service strengths include commercial floor coatings, concrete repair, structural repair and Home Owners Warranty insurance claims.

Over the years our business has grown and with it our staff has expanded. Today, our senior management have amassed close to 200 years collective experience, which makes us confident in our ability to provide to you the best specialist solutions possible.

For more information on Remedial Building Services, please contact our offices, or feel free to download our brochures.

As often as not, the obvious signs of concrete cancer, and other structural issues are the tip of the iceberg. What we often find upon investigation is that the issues are all too often caused by water ingress into the concrete slab where it reacts with the reinforcing steel.

Once the steel can be treated or removed and replaced, the slab needs to be protected to prevent the issue occurring again. This is where correct waterproofing technique is of paramount importance.

With extensive experience across residential, commercial and industrial properties, we are often regarded as one of the most knowledgeable and professional companies in the waterproofing field.

WATERPROOFING METHODOLOGY

Having identified the original issues, we will take the time to ensure they do not occur again. We will undertake extensive substrate investigation, analysis of flashings and other elements around the slab to determine what measures to take and the most effective and viable waterproofing system for the particular job at hand.

The waterproofing systems we offer include:

• Liquid membranes
• Torch on membranes
• Loose layered sheet membranes
• Hypalon bandages
• Tanking membranes
• "Negative waterproofing" through injection
• Applied chemical solutions
• Polyurethane sealants

No job is too demanding, nor too large. We have applied our water proof membranes to a number of large and complex jobs around Australia including the Department of Education Building and Reserve Bank of Australia.

DIY TIPS FOR YOUR FLOORING SURFACE

• Jan 10, 2013
 
• Russell
 
• Leave a Comment

5 Tips for maintaining your flooring surface

Whether or not you see it this way, the truth is, the floor in your warehouse, or your delicatessen, or your cool room, lab or food preparation area is an asset to your business. The rationale for this statement is simple: IF your floor breaks down, is unsafe or unhygienic, then you will need to shut down to to bring the floor back to a working condition and ensure your floor complies with relevant legal and OHS requirements. Worse still, if you are forced to shut down till the floor is fixed, you start to experience loss of revenue and this is where your floor starts costing you big money.

As with all your investments, your floor requires a bit of TLC. We've put together a list of things you can do to ensure your floor's lifespan is extended as long as it can be before you need to consider new flooring options.

Clean the floor regularly

If you have an expensive piece of machinery, or a company car, you will undertake to service it regularly to ensure it operates at its optimum for as long as possible. Failure to do that will mean break downs and increased bills to fix it.

The same goes for your floor. If you don't clean it, grit, acids, chemicals and other debris will build up and damage your surface making it either unsafe or unhygienic (and smelly more often than not) or both.  You will then be required to undertake wider repairs or replacement of the floor.

Our tip is to clean the floor regularly (you will know better than we will what that means based on the nature of your business). Make sure you don't use abrasive chemicals which were not recommended for cleaning. If you do, your floor will suffer.

Teach your staff what is acceptable and not acceptable on your floor

If your floor is a showroom then it is unlikely you will want pallet racking on the surface, and similarly, if your floor is in use in a kitchen you will not want a forklift in the kitchen. Make sure you and your staff all know what is acceptable and not acceptable on your floor. Don't put your floor under undue stress and it will thank you.

Conduct regular inspections of your floor

You check the oil in your car, you monitor the quality of the products you produce, so you should check the floor on which your business is literally built. If you identify the floor is dirty you can clean it, or if you see signs of damage you can address them before they become more widespread. Remember, prevention is better than a cure.

Don't DIY flooring fixes for specialised surfaces

It may seem appealing or even easy to repair a flooring issue you have identified during a check. However, failure to prepare the area correctly prior to implementing a solution can result in you causing more damage than you think.   

If you fail to clean the surface, or prepare it properly your 'fix' may trap bacteria and moisture below the surface, causing the surface to bubble and crack very quickly (not to mention become unhygienic). Similarly if you use the wrong preparation to fix the surface, then you will likely just be creating a band aid solution which needs fixing sooner than you could think possible.

If you use machinery, ensure that your surface is resilient to that type of traffic

Seems obvious, right? Sadly a lot of people don't stop to think about this. They have a beautiful vinyl floor but need to take delivery of a large pallet of materials. So they let the driver use the forklift to offload the materials. Sadly, the twisting and turning of the tyres will rip the vinyl up.

Tiles are similarly prone to damage under heavy traffic. Our advice, make sure you think about the surface prior to conducting what may seem to be routine procedures. If you need to use forklifts for example, an epoxy floor trowelled to the right thickness is going to be required. In the same way it's horses for courses, different industries and business require different flooring solutions.

If you have any questions regarding your flooring maintenance, call Remedial today, or leave a comment below with your details and we will come back to you.

This blog was posted in Flooring solutions, Non-slip flooring, Tips

STRUCTURAL REPAIRWORK

Over time it is inevitable that your building structure will develop structural issues – be it a sagging balcony slab, movement of the foundations or rusted steel reinforcement causing concrete cancer, the sooner you take actions to remediate the identified problems, the better.

With over 45 years’ experience and with independent certification – including ISO 9001, 14001 and AS/NZ 4801 – you can be assured of quality workmanship and a specialised maintenance solution for your apartment complex, hotel, or commercial building. Furthermore, we have successfully applied structural solutions to a number of high profile Heritage Listed Buildings such as the Department of Education Building in Sydney, The Myer Building in Brisbane and the YHA complex in Sydney.