Workplace Safety is becoming one of the biggest issues of this decade. New Occupational Health and Safety legislation, tighter Australian Standards, greater expectations by staff and pressure applied by governments and unions are all contributing to this trend.

Don't think that bakeries are immune from these regulations. The Australian Standards for Slip Resistance say that the floor in sales areas in bakeries should have a Slip Resistance of at least an R10 rating. Australian Safety Flooring's Technical Services Manager, Titus Scheltinga warns "If your floor does not comply, you would expose yourself to litigation in the unfortunate event of a staff member or customer slipping over and hurting themselves."

"When Bakers Delight reviewed their 'back of house' flooring needs, they realised they needed to address this issue," says Justin Macfarlane, ASF's Segment Manager - Retail. " After an extensive analysis, Baker's Delight turned to Altro Safety Flooring to ensure the floor in the production area and behind the sales counter was safe for their staff." Consequently, in the last 12 months their new and refurbished stores have had installed Altro VM20 to comply with the Australian Standards.

However safety wasn't the only issue that needed to be addressed. Also of paramount importance was, and still is, factors such as the ease of cleaning, durability and technical support.

Altro Safety Flooring is easier-to-clean now due to its patented "Easyclean Technology". This revolutionary technical breakthrough has proven itself in major projects all over Australia ensuring Altro floors are low maintenance and cost-effective.

Altro flooring also incorporate an anti-bacteria formula allowing for long-lasting hygiene benefits as it reduces the risk of spreading infection which is very important in any food preparation area.

The Australian distributor for Altro is Australian Safety Flooring. ASF have offices all over Australia and are renowned for their technical support both in giving advice when choosing the correct floor, and after sales service. For more information, contact ASF on 03 9764 5666 or melb@asf.com.au.