ALTRO TRANSFLOR’S GALLIUM WINS MAJOR SAFETY AWARD
Altro Transflor’s unique Gallium flooring has beaten off stiff competition to win the prestigious 2008 Safety at Sea International Award, in the equipment category.
The Awards, which are organised by the events division of Lloyd's Register-Fairplay, were presented at a dinner held during the SASMEX 2008 exhibition in Brighton, April 16-17.
Established in 2007 and sponsored by Safety at Sea International magazine, the Awards were designed to celebrate and recognise the vital role that safety managers and manufacturers play in saving and protecting life at sea and applaud standards of excellence across the international maritime safety market.
The panel of six independent judges were impressed with Altro Transflor’s dedication in developing a safety surface specifically for the maritime industry, particularly the high level of research and development undertaken to create Gallium – some five years and 400 fire and smoke tests. As a result the flooring is the only IMO MED-approved, non-PVC, slip resistant lightweight flooring on the market.
Comments from the judges included: “There is no doubt about the safety importance of flooring, because most personal accidents are caused by trips and falls. Anything that is both non-slip and fire resistant is an important addition to shipping safety.”
Simon Andrews, maritime sales manager for Altro Transflor, said: “We are delighted to win this award. It is recognition for the painstaking work which has gone into developing Gallium and we hope it will raise awareness of the significant role safety flooring plays at sea.”
The other companies shortlisted for the award were McMurdo, for its FastFind Max-G
Personal Locator Beacon, and Viking, for its Evacuation Dual Chute.
About Gallium
Many maritime operators are still inadvertently using PVC-based flooring that can produce noxious fumes and gases in the event of a fire. These can be fatal if inhaled. Gallium is unique, because it doesn’t contain PVC. In addition, many types of flooring being used aren’t even slip resistant, being smooth PVC or studded rubber.
Gallium offers extremely high levels of fire retardancy and full compliance to the MED under the guidance of the IMO. After manufacture, every batch of Gallium is independently tested for fire, smoke and toxicity. This voluntary procedure – which exceeds the requirements of the IMO MED – ensures 100% compliance and gives operators the confidence that they are meeting their duty of care to crew and passengers on board.
The flooring can be used in both passenger and crew areas where there is a potential risk of injury through slips and trips. These areas include service corridors, escape routes, stairwells, galleys, food preparation areas, bars, muster stations, gangways and washroom facilities.
Altro Transflor has over 30 years experience in the transit flooring industry. For more information, log onto www.altrotransflor.com or call 01462 707600.
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