High levels of Hygiene are essential when it comes to flooring for butchers. Working with raw meat, blood, bones and organs, processed foods are susceptible to bacteria if High levels of Hygiene are not maintained. Hence strict requirements apply to running a butcher’s and why butchers must take account of regulations from Environmental Health and the Food Standards Agency.
The Food Standards Agency guidance states that Food preparation areas must have a “design and layout must permit Good Hygiene Practices and protection against contamination. Floor surfaces must be sound and easy to clean – must use impervious, non-absorbent, washable, non-toxic materials. Where appropriate, adequate surface drainage necessary.”
Why concrete alone is not enough
An unprotected concrete floor will be of no use in meeting these important health and safety standards since it is porous, and some moisture movement will always occur. Moisture is a vehicle for many harmful contaminants therefore, suitable meat processing flooring is essential. Polyurethane resin screed systems are ideal as they offer a seamless finish, polyurethane resin can be complemented by coving and render, to allow for a smooth transition from wall to floor that does not support bacteria and microbial growth.
Welshpool butchers
PSC Flooring were called in by John WF Bebb Construction Ltd to look at the Cutting Room and Sausage Room floor at Rikki Lloyd Butchers of Welshpool. The concrete surface had falls to a central drain and it was evident they had previously painted the floor themselves and it was not lasting.
The floor areas were Cutting Room totalling 35.5 square metres and Sausage Room totalling 19 square metres. Assessing the situation, it was recommended that the best surface would be a 6mm Resdev Pumadur RT screed. Ideal even in the most arduous environments, this product is the most hard wearing on the market and designed to withstand impact, abrasion, animal fats and proteins, frequent cleaning, and chemicals. Resdev Pumadur RT screed offers excellent slip resistance in the wet and can be laid to falls to help drainage helping to meet high health and safety standards.
Initially the floor was thoroughly cleaned and prepared to remove extensive build-up of failed floor paint, using the totally enclosed handheld 110v PCD grinding machine, with the edges being prepared with a handheld total enclosed 110v diamond grinding machine. All residues and dust were vacuumed with a 110v triple motor vacuum.
A 6mm x 6mm saw cut was added to perimeter of floor area, door thresholds, around drains and gullies and where necessary to toe in and anchor screed, before a nominal 6mm heavy duty Resedv Pumadur RT polyurethane, textured, matt, red was laid.
The existing Coving System was also in need of recoating, but in order to meet the client’s tight deadline the client decided that rather than us return , the client would coat that themselves so we supplied 3 units of 3.2kg Resdev Pumadur TF polyurethane coating system, in a matching matt, red.
The whole job was done in just one day – a Sunday, to avoid down time in the busy butchers. Mr Danny Bebb, Director of John WF Bebb Construction Ltd stated “PSC were most accommodating in achieving our client’s tight deadline and even with such a tight timescale they have completely transformed the floor.”
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