FIRSTMATS Blog

Wet shoes, muddy paw prints and drips from laundry appliances can turn a utility room into the hardest-working floor in the house. The catch is that no single mat type...

Slips and trips account for 40% of reported major injuries in HSE guidance, so a muddy grass route is not something to leave to chance. If guests, staff or visitors...

Slips and trips are the most common cause of injury at work, according to HSE guidance on preventing slips and trips. If your route crosses mud, wet grass, soft...

Choosing the wrong rubber sheet often shows up after fitting, not before: the material stretches too much, pulls around fixings, or behaves differently once it is clamped or cut. That...

HSE says slip and trip accidents cost UK employers over £500 million per year. In wet industrial areas, the right floor matting choice starts with a simple question: what...

A compact car can still need more than 4 litres of engine oil, while a 125cc motorbike may use around 1 litre. That is a useful reminder that tray size...

Will wheels cross the mat, or is it only for standing work? In warehouses, that single question usually matters more than any brand or headline feature.HSE guidance on lower...

Received a stack of interlocking mat tiles and not sure which side goes where? That is usually the part that slows installation down. In workshops and production areas, the real...

Slips and trips cause 40% of all reported major injuries at work, according to HSE and RoSPA. In wet weather, that makes entrance matting a practical first line of defence...

HSE says contamination is involved in almost all slip accidents, including rainwater. So if a roof or ceiling leak starts during operating hours, the issue is not only the water...

HSE says slips and trips account for about 40% of reported major injuries at work, which is a useful reminder that cleaning-friendly flooring choices matter. If you are buying anti-fatigue...

Ordering a custom size mat can still go wrong if you measure only once or assume every mat is made to fit in the same way. The safest approach is...

HSE says slips and trips cause on average 40% of all reported major injuries. For assembly and production lines, that is a good reason to treat anti-fatigue mat selection as...

Only 10 unique studies were included in a 2018 systematic review on cushioning materials for prolonged standing at work. That is useful evidence, but it is also a reminder not...

Muddy entrances usually become a problem because one mat is being asked to do every job. Thick mud, damp shoes and repeated foot traffic need different kinds of matting, so...

Tired of coir fibres spreading through the hall or a doorway that stays wet for days? That is usually the point where homeowners start looking for an alternative. The good...

Choosing the wrong entrance control is easy when every cleaner area seems to have different needs. If you need to reduce tracked-in dust and debris at a defined threshold point,...

Floor mats are often treated as a quick fix for wet floors, tracked-in dirt and tired legs. In reality, they are more useful when approached as part of a wider...

Mission-critical flooring for ground operations: reducing FOD risk, slip incidents, fire exposure, and static damage A hangar floor isn’t “just a floor.” It’s a working surface where small failures can...

Nursery life is active, creative, and inevitably messy. Outdoor play, free-flow movement, art activities, and frequent parent drop-offs all mean moisture, dirt, and spillages are part of everyday life, particularly...

Why matting is a contamination control system—not a decorative afterthought Executive...

30% of employee non-fatal injuries reported under RIDDOR in 2024/25 were slips, trips or falls on the same level. On a construction site, temporary walkways need proper planning, not just...

An indoor bike or rower does not always need a mat underneath. Some home setups are low risk, especially if the machine is used lightly and stays completely stable. But...

First Mats supplied entrance mats for the service areas at Buckingham Palace, with a focus on large sizes, good quality and easy storage when the mats are not in use.

Countess Anne School needed an entrance mat for its newly refurbished library that would help protect the new carpet from a busy corridor, while staying low profile and suitable for...

To help keep the main church area cleaner during services, St John the Baptist Church chose custom cut Plush Choice Entrance Matting at the entrance, creating a barrier designed to...

North Norfolk Railway needed entrance matting for its switch house that would help keep the floor safer in rainy weather while operators pulled the railway switches.

Hudson Homeware - St Ives needed help with slippery wooden floors on rainy days, so AquaProtect in oat was fitted at the shop entrance to reduce dirt and water coming...

When donation sortation workers began feeling the strain of long shifts itemising incoming goods, the British Heart Foundation looked for a practical way to improve comfort in its warehouse. First...

Barfield Prep School was having ongoing issues with water and dirt being tracked into the building at its main entrances. Here’s how Ultra-Absorbent School Entrance Mats helped reduce mess, protect...

At Claro Enterprise, Owen needed a simple way to reduce wood shavings, dust and sawdust being tracked from the workshop into carpeted office and admin areas. Large Disposable Tacky Dust...

Spire Healthcare needed entrance matting for patient areas, treatment zones and corridors that could stand up to frequent use while also supporting portable MRI scanners. Plush Choice door mats were...

nLighten UK was looking for a practical way to help keep fine dust and particles out of its main server room. By adding tacky dust mats at key entry points,...

For a swimming pool refurbishment at one of its leisure sites, Parkdean Resorts needed a hard-wearing matting option that would help reduce slip risks at the pool edge while remaining...

Travelodge wanted a smarter and more economical alternative to rental entrance mats for its main reception area, so First Mats supplied a bespoke hotel lobby logo mat aligned to the...

This case study looks at how First Mats supplied Elite Vinyl-Top Anti-Fatigue Mats to Amazon UK for use in busy picking and packing bays, replacing foam-based matting that was not...

Glenshee Sports Centre needed to replace worn rubber matting around its ski lift areas, where visitors walk across slippery ground in a busy outdoor setting. First Mats supplied Playground Rubber...

A’s Nursery needed an entrance mat that would look right in the space, reflect its branding and stand up to daily use in the softplay centre reception. First Mats supplied...

Midlands Flooring needed a safer, more durable entrance matting for a communal area in an over-50s housing unit. Using Mat-Well Tile Pro - 16mm from First Mats, Scott installed a...

A.M.T Construction chose SiteStep Walkway Matting from First Mats for designated site walkway areas, helping the team improve safety, reduce mud and dirt transfer, and avoid the cost and delays...

How Heavy-Duty Site Cabin Mats helped keep temporary classrooms cleaner, safer, and easier to maintain on a busy school construction site.

How AquaProtect entrance matting helped keep a busy customer waiting area cleaner, drier, and more welcoming for visitors.

For his home gym in the garage, Dick Glaves needed to cover a bespoke area so he could place a Peloton exercise bike on a surface that would help protect...

With Glastonbury 2025 fast approaching, First Mats arranged a rapid delivery of Double IBC Bund Pallets with Removable Decks to help the festival safely store generator coolant and fuel on...