In most industrial and commercial buildings, such as retail stores, hospitals, restaurants, health care homes, and schools, the floors are comprised of tile, vinyl, or concrete. These and other types of flooring materials can be coated with a finish, such as a wax or sealant, to protect the underlying floor. When applying such a finish to those floors, however, the floors are often waxed to a high gloss and become exceedingly smooth, such that only a small amount of water on the floors will cause the floors to become slick. Indeed, one of the most frequent accidents encountered in industrial and commercial buildings are “slip and fall” accidents that arise due to unseen “slick spots” on finished waxed floors.
In light of the frequency of slip and fall accidents, many companies have been forced to place barriers or large signs adjacent to a wet area of a floor in order to alert individuals of a possible slipping hazard. However, because one has to first become aware of a potential wet area, there is an inherent delay from time a spill occurs to when individuals are alerted of the wet area. Furthermore, since barriers and large signs are often left in place for extended periods of time, which frequently continue long after a previously wet floor has dried, the use of barriers and large signs may be ineffective as a number of individuals will simply ignore the safety barriers or signs and walk on the wet floor.
Accordingly, there remains a need in the art for a floor finish composition that can effectively and economically be applied over a desired area. There also remains a need for a floor finish composition that can quickly and effectively warn the public of wet floor conditions, thereby reducing the possibility of slip and fall accidents.
USPTO Backgrounds
USPTO Backgrounds