Client: Frederick Hiam Ltd
Facility: Brandon, Suffolk
Product: COBAmat® Inter
Area: Vegetable Washing/Sorting/Packing
About Frederick Hiam Ltd:
Frederick Hiam Ltd is a family owned Farming and Vegetable Packing Business with a long and interesting history going back over 100 years. The business today farms some 9,000 acres and specialises in Potatoes, Onions, Parsnips, Sugar Beet, Wheat and Milk production. The Farms are located in Suffolk, Norfolk, Cambridgeshire and Pembrokeshire. The Brandon site is home to Frederick Hiam Foods and the Brandon Onion Grader.
COBAmat® floor matting, manufactured in the UK by COBA Europe Ltd, has been selected by the farming and vegetable packing business, Frederick Hiam Ltd and installed at its Brandon site, near Ipswich.
Over 40 metres of COBAmat® Inter in blue (the recognised food-safe colour) has been fitted to an open gridded platform floor in a busy area where parsnips are washed, graded, labelled and bagged before being supplied around the globe to customers of Frederick Hiam Foods.
This area, where parsnips have to be thoroughly washed, is notoriously prone to water spillage and loose food debris, as a result of the parsnip trimming operations. Without the matting, the metal grid floor surface would be uncomfortable for employees, despite them wearing specialist safety shoes. Their jobs require regular periods of prolonged standing so creating the safest and most comfortable environment is a key priority for Frederick Hiam Foods. The matting had to be resilient too as the metal grid would cut into thinner, less durable materials. Employees at Frederick Hiam have been quick to notice the many benefits of COBAmat® Inter which replaced some existing anti-fatigue matting.”We trialled a number of mats and there was unanimous support for COBAmat® Inter. COBA Europe was forthcoming in sending a sample in a size large enough for us to try it properly. COBAmat® Inter has made a huge difference. We believe we have invested in a quality product that delivers tangible benefits to the welfare of our employees,” explains Mhairi Smeeton, Health and Safety Manager – Frederick Hiam Ltd.
The PVC woven design inherent to the COBAmat® range features open holes allowing liquid and debris to escape ‘through’ the matting for safety underfoot. Fully-reversible and easy to install/clean, its interwoven design also gives COBAmat® its flexible properties for increased durability and comfort. Cross-ribbing in two directions helps to provide a firmer footing to reduce the risks of slips – the product conforms to Slip Resistance Test DIN51097 Category B. PVC does not support the growth of bacteria, and is resistant to mild acids and alkalis.COBAmat® Inter is available in black, blue, red or green in 0.6m, 0.9m and 1.2m wide rolls in 5m and 10m lengths as standard. Custom widths and lengths are also available by special order.
