Project Planning

Hygiene

In order to maintain a clean and hygienic environment, it is essential that drainage elements are designed and manufactured to minimise bacteria traps.

ACO Gully is designed for optimum hygiene performance, taking into account guidelines described in EN 1672, EN ISO 14159 and the European Hygienic Engineering and Design Group (EHEDG).

EN 1672 and EN ISO 14159 are standards that set out hygiene requirements for use in food processing.

EHEDG is a consortium of food industries, public health authorities, research institutes and equipment manufacturers. Their mission is to promote hygiene through improved hygienic engineering and design relating to all aspects of food manufacture. EHEDG principles are being recognised by designers and planners worldwide, including Australia.

Slip resistance

Slip resistant grates are recommended for installation in commercial kitchen and food processing area’s to reduce the risk of serious injury were high temperature food and equipment is used.

Slip resistance is becoming a bigger concern for the Australian design community as litigation around the topic rises and pressure is being placed on the specifier to correctly specify all floor materials according to the Standards.

There can be a tendency to over specify the grates slip resistance when compared to the surrounding flooring, as it is perceived as the slippery part of the design.

However, the grate and adjacent floor material should have the same level of slip resistance as rapid changes in surface roughness can create slips and trips. AS 4586 is the slip resistant standard and outlines the test methodologies for different applications.

There are three tests that are most relevant to grates: oil wet ramp, wet barefoot and wet pendulum.

The oil wet ramp test is designed for industrial and commercial environments where there is likely to be oil on the floor. This is an inclining platform test, where a test person is harnessed and walks back and forth across the test material on a ramp in a specific safety shoe. The ramp is gradually inclined until the test person feels they will fall. The test is repeated three times and a median value is awarded. This has ratings of R9 to R13, with R13 as the highest rating.

The wet barefoot test is designed for wet areas with bare feet, like pools or changing rooms and it is therefore not a suitable test for commercial kitchens as it does not reflect the application. Like the oil wet ramp test, it is also an inclining platform test, but uses bare feet, with water and no oil to simulate these environments. This test has three categories of slip resistance, A, B and C, with C being the highest rating.

The wet pendulum test is most suited to areas that get wet in rain and trafficked by worn heels, like pedestrian areas and building entries. The rating system is P0-P5, with P5 being the highest rating. Although this does not represent a commercial or industrial food environment, it is widely used in litigation cases as the test device is portable and slip resistance can be tested in-situ.

The corrosion resistance information contained within this table is indicative only.

All data is based on reactions noted at an ambient temperature of 20°C. Higher temperatures will generally reduce the corrosion resistance of the materials.

Standards only give an objective means for comparing products. There are a number of key factors affecting a product’s resistance to load and additional consideration must be given to:

• Type of traffic: Consider the weight of loads being carried, for example forklifts, trolleys and trucks.
• Wheel type: Solid tyres exert more stress through smaller contact areas than pneumatic tyres, so a heavier duty grate may be required. Note, laden trolleys can intensify the load.
• Frequency and speed of traffic: More frequent and faster traffic can intensify the load.
• Position of gully: If the product is positioned where traffic will be turning or braking, or if it is installed at the bottom of a ramp, the gully will be subjected to extreme forces.