Vigil Antislip is an Australian owned and based company leading the world in antislip technology and application.
The design and construction phase of any new project is the ideal time to consider and apply floor safety and slip prevention measures. Addressing the issues of slip prevention and control at the outset allows the design and construction teams to work with the antislip technology provider to achieve the optimum solution for long term effectiveness. This view, recently expressed by the Managing Director of Vigil Antislip, Mr Stephen McCorkill, reflects the more pro-active approach to workplace safety being taken by project owners, designers and managers across Australia.
“A lot of our business in the past has been retro-fitting safety measures to sites following serious accidents or near misses,” McCorkill said. “But now we are spending more time with designers to ensure that from the first day of operation the factory, refinery, transport hub, shopping centre, event arena or offshore facility they are building offers the greatest possible safety to workers,” he said. “Many of our clients now specify Vigil Antislip for any new facilities they are building across the world, because they know that for long term slip prevention, our product range literally cannot be beaten.”
Recognition that about 20 per cent of injuries are from surface falls, and that in most cases these can be prevented, is driving designers and business owners to seek answers to the problem early. Vigil Antislip, which has been in operation since 1988, leads the world in the design and manufacture of antislip products for stair nosings, ladder rungs, and flat, curved or sloping surfaces.
“In terms of slip resistance, we gain the highest possible performance by using the most abrasive aggregate practical – Silicon Carbide. This material offers a hardness of 2,480 kg / mm2 – harder than tungsten carbide and titanium carbide. Having a crystalline structure combined with this hardness, it is non-wearing yet spark resistant,” McCorkill said. He also said that the Vigil range of products are available in a range of different mesh sizes of the aggregate, to suit different environments. These sizes range from an average aggregate size of 100 mesh (barefoot grade) to 46 mesh for commercial use, 20 mesh for industrial applications, and a 12/20 mesh matrix for offshore use.
Slip resistance, although the primary requirement of antislip technology, is only half of the story. Durability is the other half – and here too Vigil Antislip has an edge. All Vigil Antislip products are covered by a 10 year Warranty covering resistance to wear, degradation from surface exposure to solvents, corrosion*, delamination through thermal inequities, and delamination through impact**.
“We achieve this durability through a unique manufacturing process, in which every product is laminated by hand. In addition, rather than apply the aggregate directly to the substrate (typically stainless steel or Colorbond), we apply a floating medium to the substrate, employ key coats of resin to maximise adhesion, and then apply the aggregate and final coats. The result is exceptional strength, as well as resistance to impact and delamination under most circumstances,” Mr McCorkill said, adding that all test certificates are available.
Vigil Antislip products have been designed and tested for use in areas prone to spillage. Viscous, unctuous and corrosive fluids will exacerbate the slip hazard of any area, but the use of Vigil products eliminates the potential for slips and falls.
“Our products are tested for resistance to a wide variety of fluids, from petrol and hydraulic aircraft fluid, to toluene, sulphuric acid and nitric acid. When immersed in any of these liquids, even for up to four weeks, our products exhibit no change in slip resistance, hardness or laminate durability,” said McCorkill.
Vigil Antislip products are manufactured in their purpose-built facility in Western Australia, and exported around the world through operations in Houston and Moscow as well as a network of distributors covering 70 countries.
Media contact: Stephen McCorkill Managing Director Stephen@vigilantislip.com +61 8 9437 4811 Website: www.vigilantislip.com
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