Something's afoot: durable flooring makes a difference in safety, efficiency, and capital spending.

When it comes to a processing facility's bottom line, the bottom itself can be crucial. Flooring, literally the bedrock of a plant, is one of those pivotal systems that can sometimes be overlooked--but can pose major problems if not properly chosen, installed, or maintained.

"Floors are the most abused surface in a food plant. I've been preaching that for years," points out Don Graham, president of Graham Sanitary Design Consulting Ltd., Chesterfield, MO. Those who supply flooring materials agree that processing facilities pose unique challenges. "This is one of the most abusive environments in terms of flooring," notes Mark Paggioli, marketing director, East Hartford, CT-based Dur-a-Flex Inc.

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Is it tough enough?

A variety of factors contribute to the need for durable flooring in processing plants. "Thermal shock is the biggest issue, which can cause the floor to delaminate. Thermal shock is caused by changes in temperatures, and existing epoxy and vinyl floor systems can't handle those temperatures," says Paul Patuka, president of Advanced Surfaces Corp., Douglasville, GA.

Susan Barish, marketing manager for Stonhard Floor Systems Inc., Maple Shade, NJ, agrees that environmental conditions are a primary consideration for the maintenance of existing floors as well as the installation of new systems.

"Due to the nature of these processing environments and the need for sanitary conditions, extremely hot-water washdowns are used on a regular basis, creating a thermal shock scenario that can quickly deteriorate many flooring products through cracking and disbanding," she says.

Paggioli adds that the thermal issue is commonly cited by processors looking to install or renovate their facility floors. "They are looking for floors that can take the thermal shock when washing them down with hot water and the general cold environment," he reports.

In addition to thermal effects, the nature of slaughter and further-processing operations means that surfaces are exposed to substances not common in other manufacturing settings.

"There is fat, grease, and blood. I think that is a complication for meat plants because there is no kill step in the fresh-food industry," observes Graham.

Barish says that such substances can, in turn, cause other problems. "The processing areas are typically cold and wet, which when combined with meat, fat, and blood, can pose serious slip-and-fall hazards," she remarks. "They also are subject to organic acid exposure as the food by-products break down. These acids compromise the integrity of many materials resulting in costly repairs and shutdown time."