Key considerations for a brewery floor
Concrete is a highly robust material and is used to construct the majority of the world's non-residential buildings. However, because its top surface is porous, it absorbs spilt beers and ales as well as cleaning products and water, which can lead to microbial growth and substandard hygiene levels. It also increases the rate at which the surface of the concrete floor will break down. Another accelerator of top surface deterioration is traffic such as such as kegs, barrels, trolleys and trucks.
Like all workplaces, breweries have a duty of care to keep their staff safe and healthy, which includes reducing trip hazards. What's more, cracks and pot holes also provide rough surfaces for dirt to cling to. And they are also difficult to clean, which creates an ideal environment for microbial growth. If left untreated, this too accelerates the deterioration of a concrete floor.
The legislation surrounding beer production is much the same as any food and beverage manufacturing facility. This means that it's essential that floors and other surfaces are hygienic meeting food grade or food safe standards and that they don't encourage microbial growth.
A rigorous cleaning process is essential in a brewery, so the floor must be able to withstand harsh cleaning chemicals, hot water, and steam. The finish must be able to withstand thermal cycling when cleaning, when temperatures change from normal to very hot, otherwise the floor surface will deteriorate. Similarly, it must also be thermal shock resistant when steam cleaning, as this can also cause much damage to a concrete surface.
Brewery and distillery floors must be able to withstand impact from kegs and barrels, trolleys and forklifts. And if floors finishes are installed before the brewing equipment, it is essential that any damage caused during the installation process is repaired. What's more, the floor and floor surface must be able to bear the equipment's compressive load.
The importance of good drainage cannot be stressed enough, but it an all too frequently overlooked component of the flooring design process. We recommend that long stainless steel floor gulley drains are centrally installed with the floor finish laid to falls. If the floor finish is not laid to falls or is uneven, waste water and spillages may pond or puddle on the surface, requiring more time and effort to manually sweep into floor drains, as well as creating slippage hazards.
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. It is therefore important to specify slip-resistant floor surfaces to help reduce the risk. And where surfaces are likely to be wet or holding standing water, the slip-resistance of the floor surfaces must be more textured.
Brewery floors must be able to withstand any liquids that are spilt on them as well as all products used to clean them.So they need to be resistant to acid-based chemicals such as hydrogen peroxide, peroxyacetic acid and anioic acids. Alternatively, alkali-based sanitizers might be used such as chlorine, ammonium or sodium hypochlorite which means that the floor will also need to be resistant to alkalis. And as harsh chemicals may also be used to clean and sanitize the floor itself, the floor surface must also be chemically resistant in order to withstand them. Even ingredients in the brewing process itself can chemically attack a concrete floor if spilt, as can the acidic beer itself.
Kemtile's brewing industry customers
