Meat production floors

Complying with the highest standards of hygiene

All flooring and drainage products installed by Kemtile comply with the highest standards of hygiene, cleanability and safety underfoot. Most also comply with EHEDG, HACCP, and Campden BRI guidelines, which are extremely important for any company wanting to achieve or maintain British Retail Consortium (BRC) certification for food safety standards.

Flooring designed to meet the hygiene and safety demands of the meat processing industry

High performance polyurethane resin floors and industrial ceramic floor tiles tend to be the most commonly specified in meat processing facilities, with one or both finishes being installed depending on the situation, environment and aesthetic requirements. At Kemtile we can install both, which means we are able to make recommendations for you that best suit your individual budget and requirements.

Floors must have a hygienic, non-porous surface that is easy to clean

The meat processing industry is a highly regulated and as such any floor finish in any type of processing area within the industry must be imperious, hygienic and easy to clean. Only this way can floors be deemed to be food safe and be able to comply with stringent regulatory guidelines.

Floors must be able to withstand rigorous cleaning.

A rigorous and thorough cleaning process is essential in any meat processing plant, so the floor surface must be able to withstand harsh cleaning chemicals together with hot water, especially when removing grease and fats.

Floors must be able to withstand high and low temperatures

Meat processing environments can be very demanding. There are very often cooking ovens or vessels as well as cold storage areas, so any flooring system used must be able to withstand these varying conditions without failure.

Floors must be able to withstand impact and be hard wearing.

Flooring systems in meat processing plants must be able to withstand impact from profile stillages and the wear and tear from forklift and pallet trucks, as well as trollies and steel wheeled racks.

Floors must provide adequate slip-resistance.

According to HSE statistics, slips, trips and falls continue to be a major cause of injuries in the workplace, leading to a significant rise in personal injury claims in recent years. Even with the best cleaning procedures, floors in meat processign plants can become slippery during the working day from spillages so it is important to choose a floor with the best slip resistance suited to the environment. A process floor may require more slip resistance than a packing hall or a warehouse and Kemtile can provide advice on the right finish to meet each individual circumstance.

Drainage must be hygienic, fully welded stainless steel.

The importance of good floor drainage cannot be stressed enough, but it is an all too frequently overlooked component of the floor design. For the highest levels of hygiene, Kemtile recommends that all drainage in meat processing plants should be manufactured from stainless steel. They should also be fully welded to maintain the hygienic surface throughout the system. Any drainage system is only as good as the flooring system surrounding it, so there should be adequate falls on the floor to allow for unaided drainage, which reduces manual cleaning time. Falls should also be adequate enough to remove any solids that are in the channel bottom. Floor drainage gullies, either as part of the channel system or as stand-alone drainage points, should also have removable trash baskets to catch debris.