If you’re an employer, you want to ensure your employees are outfitted with the best possible workspace to facilitate their work.  This means making certain they have all the items they need to successfully perform their job.  It also means fostering a work environment that is safe, hazard free, and comfortable.  Research shows that when employees are comfortable, they work harder, better, and more creatively than when they are forced to work in situations that feel unsafe, hazardous, or inadequate for them to perform as needed.  

While there are a myriad of items on a checklist of making a workplace comfortable and hazard free, there is one thing you can do to foster comfort and facilitate a healthier workspace:  installing anti-fatigue foam mats.  Anti-fatigue mats are padded floor mats designed to cushion the weight of a standing employee while they work instead of standing on a hard floor.  Great for use in industries that involve line work, retail customer service, kitchen & dining workers, medical back offices, and the like, anti-fatigue mats are a great way to ensure your standing employees are comfortable and maintain their stamina during the course of their workday.  At Ultimate Mats, we’ve been outfitting workspaces with anti-fatigue mats since 2005.  We know the industry inside and out, and we can help you decide on a set of anti-fatigue mats that will be perfect for your needs.  

You may wonder how long an anti-fatigue standing mat will last.  This is a great question, and depends largely on several factors.  Let’s look at them in detail.  

Factors that Affect an Anti-Fatigue Mats Lifespan

Anti-fatigue rubber floor mats are made of high quality, industrial strength closed-cell nitrile/PVC cushioning enclosed in a solid textured nitrile top.  This makes a comfort floor mat not only supportive, but flexible.  For your workers, this means they will experience cloud-like support under their happy feet as they work, but the heavy duty material will withstand countless hours of weight without crushing or flattening out.As an added plus they are also non-slip to keep your workers safe. Although all anti-fatigue comfort mats do have a lifespan, you can get a better gauge of how well your anti-fatigue kitchen mat will perform simply by taking a few things into consideration.

1. Size of operation.  Size matters when it comes to anti-fatigue mats, and not just the size of the mat, the size of the employee and the weight of the work they are doing.  For instance, a personal-sized stand up desk mat is designed to withstand the weight of one user at a time, for a limited number of hours per day.  A twelve foot orthopedic runner that you might find in a commercial kitchen, medical back office, or laboratory, is designed to capacitate numerous workers at once over extended periods of time, as some of these scenarios obviously involve shift work, with workers transitioning in and out of work over a twenty-four hour period.  
2. Length of use.  Some anti-fatigue mats (like the aforementioned ortho mat) will be designed to withstand continuous pressure, while others will be designed for more occasional use.  The difference will usually be found in the thickness of the mat or in the materials used to create it.  Two popular anti-fatigue mat thicknesses are 5/8 inch and 7/8 inch.  These varying thicknesses are different price points, and the reason is due to the amount of cushion needed for the job being done.  For instance, a thicker mat is needed for workers who are operating heavier machinery or who are generally heavier in stature.  You would likely not find a 7/8 inch thick anti-fatigue mat under the feet of a petite hair stylist in a salon.  Rather, a 7/8 inch thick mat might be used in a mechanics or welding shop.  These thicker mats can handle the pressure of the worker and the work equipment for long periods of time than a thinner rubber mat.  
3. Proper installation and use.  As with any product, proper installation and use will mean the difference in whether the product performs to its desired life expectancy or not.  For an anti-fatigue mat, you must be certain that you have selected the appropriate mat for the job.  Using the guideline above, you should work with a professional at Ultimate Mats to determine the appropriate size and width anti-fatigue mat for your operation.  If you purchase a mat that is too small or of the incorrect thickness, the lifespan of your anti-fatigue mat could greatly decrease.  Likewise, if you purchase a mat that is too thick or too large, it may not be a comfortable fit for your employees, or be cumbersome in their workspace and require replacement with a smaller, better fitting anti-fatigue mat.  

How Long Do Anti-Fatigue Mats Last?

When we take into consideration the amount of pressure and foot traffic an anti-fatigue mat is exposed to, we tend to think we will be replacing these mats repetitiously every couple of months, but this is not the case.  The extreme durability of anti-fatigue mats dictate that they will last for years after their purchase provided they are used correctly and sized appropriately and proportionately for the space they occupy.  

Ultimate Mats believes the life expectancy of any high quality, industrial grade anti-fatigue mat to be anywhere from one to three years on average.  This is really a hard number to quantify, as the exact amount of foot traffic and pressure an anti-fatigue mat will see can’t be perfectly calculated.  When speaking with a customer about their anti-fatigue mat needs, we do our best to make sure they are directed to a mat of proper size and thickness so their anti-fatigue mat lasts as long as possible.  

The use of anti-fatigue matting in your workplace is a great way to keep standing workers active and healthy on their feet.  It allows them to replace the distraction they may experience from sore feet, legs, and lower back pain, with more fervor, ingenuity, and creativity in their job.  Rubber and vinyl anti-fatigue mats are an expected part of a hazard free work environment, as they protect against common injuries suffered by standing workers.  Vinyl and rubber anti-fatigue mats will last a varied amount of time.  The lifespan of an anti-fatigue mat depends upon the size of your operation, the number of employees that will use the mat, and the overall hours it will be in use.  Making sure you install the proper mat thickness and size will help you get the most lifespan out of your anti-fatigue area rugs.