07/10/2025
The issue of plastic mats has again arisen. These are being placed over carpet to ease the movement of hoists and wheelchairs.
This hazard can be eliminated by removing the carpet.
The Code of Practice How to Manage Work Health and Safety Risks indicates a clear presumption of safety over cost so when workers are involved the above control should be selected.
When a product is manufactured , imported or supplied to be used by workers then designers, manufacturers, importers and suppliers of equipment, substances or structures have duties under WHS Act 2020. In relation to manufacturing and selling equipment these duties include:
• ensuring that equipment, substances or structures designed, manufactured, imported or supplied are without risks to health and safety, as much as reasonably practicable.
• testing and analysis and providing specific information about the equipment or substance.
In the model Code of Practice Health Care and Social Assistance Sector (p88) it specifies:
Carpeting should be avoided in clinical areas where patient care occurs, or in areas where:
• the carpet may make it difficult for workers to push patient beds
• wheelchairs or other wheeled equipment like food and medication trolleys are used, or
• unsecured carpets or floor mats should generally not be used unless they can be fixed in place, as they pose a trip hazard.
In addition to the above, providing a mat will:
• restrict the movements of the worker – they will only have one path they can use to move the equipment.
• increase the risk of a bending floor and cracking of the floor surface if placed on a carpet with high pile or soft underlay
I have been unable to find anything the relates to safe working load of mats. However, when moving a hoist, one needs to consider the weight of the hoist, the hoist operator/s, the client in the hoist and the weight of the wheelchair on the mat. Assuming one hoist operator, and a power wheelchair, then the combined weight on the mat could exceed 300kg.
And if you need something more, then the Australian Standard for testing of hoists AS10535 does not test the operation of hoists on carpet, let alone plastic mats placed on top of carpet.
So ask the supplier for the testing data, the safe working load of the mat, the density of the carpet and/ or underlay that the mat can be placed on and evidence that the use of the mat on a floor surface is compliant with the manufacturers AS10535 testing.
