For operations leaders managing OSHA compliance and tight budgets, slip prevention is not a “cleaning expense”—it’s a controllable cost center. A commercial mat rental program is one of the most cost-effective ways to reduce risk. Below is a breakdown of the actual financial impact—and why renting mats consistently outperforms buying them.

What Does a Slip-and-Fall Accident Actually Cost?

The financial exposure from a single incident is significant and often underestimated:

• Average medical and legal cost per slip-and-fall injury: $12,000
• Average cost to defend a slip-and-fall lawsuit in court: $50,000
• OSHA penalties for inadequate walkway surfaces (29 CFR 1910.22): up to $15,625 per violation
• Workers’ Compensation claims related to slip injuries in Illinois manufacturing: 23% of all claims

Context: For a business generating $2M in annual revenue, a single uncontested claim represents approximately 0.6%–2.5% of total revenue in direct losses—before factoring in insurance premium increases or operational disruption.

How Illinois Winters Amplify the Risk

Illinois averages 28 inches of snowfall annually in the Chicago metro area. From November through March, facilities operate in a high-risk environment where snow, salt, and moisture are constantly tracked indoors.

Wet, contaminated floors are 5× more likely to cause slips than dry surfaces. Without an effective matting system:

• Custodial staff spend up to 39% of their time on floor care
• Indoor flooring lifespan decreases by 30–40% due to abrasive debris
• Liability exposure peaks during winter months

This is not just a safety issue—it’s a measurable operational inefficiency.

The ROI Math on a Commercial Mat Rental Program

For a mid-size Illinois facility (~50 employees), the numbers are straightforward:

• Annual mat rental program cost: $1,800–$3,600/year
• One slip-and-fall accident (medically treated, no lawsuit): $12,000

Break-even point: approximately 3–4 months of rental cost.

Even before factoring in additional savings:

• Reduced custodial labor (a 15-foot mat captures ~80% of tracked-in debris)
• Extended floor lifespan ($4–$8 per sq ft replacement cost)
• Lower Workers’ Compensation premiums

The return on investment is typically 3–5× in the first year alone.

Rent vs. Buy — Which Makes More Sense for Your Facility?

When comparing total cost of ownership, renting consistently delivers stronger financial and operational outcomes:

Buying shifts responsibility—and risk—onto your team. Renting transfers it to a managed service with built-in compliance support.

OSHA Compliance: What Illinois Facility Managers Must Know

Under OSHA General Industry Standard 29 CFR 1910.22(a)(1), walking-working surfaces must be “maintained in good repair” and kept clean and dry. This is one of the most frequently cited violations in Illinois facilities.

A documented mat rental program helps demonstrate compliance by providing:

• Regular service records (weekly laundering and replacement)
• Use of NFSI-certified slip-resistant mats
• Consistent floor protection during high-risk conditions

This creates a verifiable paper trail—critical in the event of an inspection, claim, or litigation.

How Specialty Mat Serves Illinois & Indiana Facilities

Specialty Mat Services supports facilities across the Illinois service area—from Aurora to Chicago, Naperville to Indianapolis—with a fully managed mat rental program designed for safety, compliance, and cost control.

The program includes:

• Weekly delivery and laundering
• Over 200+ mat styles, including NFSI-certified entrance mats, anti-fatigue mats, and logo mats
• Zero upfront cost
• Expert guidance through a free facility analysis

This is not just a product—it’s an operational safeguard built into your facility workflow.

Schedule Your Free Facility Walkthrough

The cost of inaction is measurable—and avoidable.
Schedule Your Free Facility Walkthrough today through our free facility analysis and identify exactly where your facility is exposed.

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Dirty Floors Endanger Employees and Customers in Commercial Facilities: Facts and Figures

Slip-and-fall accidents are as dangerous as they are expensive. And these statistics will prove that they are bad for business, as well:

• According to the National Safety Council (NSC), falls are the second-most common cause of worker deaths. In 2020, 800 workers died due to fall-related injuries.
• According to the same data from the NSC, slip-and-falls are the third most common cause of serious non-fatal injuries that required days off from work. In 2020, more than 211,000 employees had to miss work due to their fall-related injuries.
• Same-level falls account for more than 12% of fall fatalities, and more than 50% of non-fatal injuries.
• 24% of falls in commercial facilities occur on customer walkways. And almost 70% of business spaces report not placing mats in these high-risk areas.
• Fall accidents are expensive. According to the 2015 data from the CDC, fall-related hospitalizations amounted to over $50 million.
• Slip-and-fall accidents are one of the most common causes of liability lawsuits customers filed against businesses.

How to Make Your Floors Cleaner and Safer for Employees and Customers

The most common causes of same-level falls are poor flooring design, clutter, matting, and spills. Now that you know how dirty floors endanger employees and customers, here’s how you can prevent them:

Clean Regularly and Efficiently

Keeping your floors clean is not only a matter of hygiene, it is also a safety issue. It is important to be more conscientious about the frequency and quality of your cleaning efforts. Make sure to completely wipe away any spills and rid your floors of any form of clutter.  Make sure, too, to isolate and clearly mark any wet areas until it’s completely safe.

Keep Up with Floor Safety Requirements

The type and design of your flooring are also essential in safety. Make sure that your floors are up to safety standards. This means that your floors should be even throughout, with no sudden rises, falls, or obscure obstructions. Make sure to clearly mark any level changes.

Equip Your Floors for Optimum Safety

Matting is one of your best defenses against same-level fall accidents. They provide added traction and prevent any dust, mud, or moisture from getting onto your floors. But floor mats can also pose a risk. Poor-quality or poorly maintained floor mats can become slipping hazards. Old mats, which tend to bunch up, are also tripping-and-falling hazards. Make sure that your floor mats are well-maintained, regularly cleaned, and come with adequate traction.

Specialty Mat: The Floor Mat Experts

The problem with having floor mats, however, is that they can be an added burden for your janitorial team. They require regular, high-quality cleaning to stay effective. With all the responsibilities that come with running a business, it can be challenging to find time to adequately care for your floor mats. Even keeping up with your floor mat supplies is challenging!

This is where Specialty Mat comes in! Specialty Mat is the Illinois mat service provider that can take care of all your floor mat needs. We handle supply delivery, quality control, mat laundering, and more! With Specialty Mat, you don’t have to worry about anything concerning your mats. You can concentrate on running your business, while your floor mats will perform as optimally as you need them to.

What are you waiting for?

Contact Us Today!

Make your facility safer for your customers and employees. Invest in the reliable Illinois mat service expertise of Specialty Mat. Contact us today at 800-941-MATS or fill out this form for a free quote!

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This is How Mat Service Works with Specialty Mat

With a company that has several decades of experience in the industry, you can expect smooth, affordable mat service. This is what working with Specialty Mat looks like:

Find What You Need with Help from Our Customer Support Team

Specialty Mat has earned our name: we offer a wide selection of mats with various designs and purposes. With so many options to choose from, we offer the full services of our customer support team to make the process easier. They are available 24/7 to answer any questions or deal with any concerns you may have.

Every business has its own specific needs. No matter what they are, Specialty Mat has everything covered! Our team works closely with each of our clients to ensure they get the best value for their money. 

We Take Care of the Mats for You

Even the best mats go bad over time with repeated use. That’s why every mat needs regular maintenance to ensure they retain long useful lifespans. Without a mat service, this can be expensive. Either you spend extra on a mat maintenance business elsewhere or you set up dedicated facilities and staff to handle it yourself.

Handling mat maintenance without help is the most expensive way to go about it and if you’re willing to outsource anyways, save money with mat service from Specialty Mat. Not only do we supply you with mats but our specialists will take care of them for you at no extra cost!

Our Route Service Reps Will Handle Inventory Management

One of the most frustrating aspects of maintaining a mat supply is staying on top of the inventory. Damaged or missing mats are complications that mat service helps avoid. Whenever our route service reps come by to pick up and drop off your mats for maintenance, they take a detailed inventory. 

We already ensure long useful lifespans thanks to our exhaustive testing and maintenance processes. Our inventory management system is the cherry on top of the cake that guarantees that you always have what you need when you need it.

Start Your Mat Service with Specialty Mat Today!

Now that you know how mat service works, get the products you need from Specialty Mat! Our affordable service is exactly what you need to keep your business clean without breaking the bank. And you can start today! Call us at 1-800-941-6287 or visit our website here for more information on how we can help you.

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We offer more than just on-time delivery of your floor mat needs.

Tailor-Made Floor Mat Service Solutions

Your unique service needs deserve unique, tailor-made solutions. That’s exactly what we do here at Specialty Mat Services. More than just bringing you a generic selection of floor mats, we help you get mats that fit your needs to a T.

It’s more than just getting your floor mats customized to the size you need. Our floor mat rental service is flexible to accommodate your facility’s most unique needs. Talk to our in-house experts today to find the best way to keep your floors cleaner, safer, and better!

Top-Notch Floor Mat Selection

Nothing trumps quality. That’s why we put the highest premium on the quality of the floor mats that we offer. From the most basic entrance mats to specialized floor mats, you can expect nothing but the best from Specialty Mat.

It all starts with our strict quality control protocol. Our multi-level inspection ensures that every area of the floor mat meets our standards on appearance and overall quality. We repeat the same strict inspection every time we process floor mats for maintenance. This is the way we can ensure the quality of your mats, from the very first delivery to your latest. Quality, after all, is nothing without consistency.

Incomparable Mat Service Excellence

One of the most important hallmarks of our integrity and reliability as a company is our service. From maintenance to handling to pricing, you can trust quality at every stage. For one, we use the latest in mat maintenance technology to ensure the cleanliness and integrity of your products. Second, we have a strict process that ensures efficiency. You can always expect our deliveries to come on-time and accurately. We do this to ensure that your mat needs do not interrupt your operations.

We use the same efficient system with our invoices. With Specialty Mat, you can expect full transparency and integrity in our billing. No surprise fees, dubious articles, or vague sections. It’s as straightforward as it can possibly be, leaving you with nothing to doubt or worry about.

At the core of this is simplicity. We only want to deliver quality service, after all. We believe that keeping things as simple and as seamless as possible is an integral part of that.

At Specialty Mat Services, It’s Always Personal

More than anything else, and on top of everything that we offer, Specialty Mat Services is all about personal service. We treat you like family. We handle your needs as if they were our own. That is why we always keep our communication lines open and accessible. You can come to us for anything, at any time. Our dedicated, in-house experts will make sure to attend to your needs as promptly as possible.

Get Started on Your Specialty Mat Service Today!

Call us today at (800) 941-MATS to sign up for service or speak with a representative for a personal walkthrough. 

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Here’s how to regularly maintain business matting in your facility:

Start with Proper Business Matting

Never underestimate the power of good, high-quality business matting on impacting the condition of your floors. The right choice goes beyond keeping your floors clean. Mats keep your floors safe and preserves them which, in turn, helps prevent damages and costly repairs or renovations.

Just as you can never turn silver into gold, you cannot turn low-quality floor mats into high-quality business matting – even with top-notch, regular maintenance. To get the best results for your floors, always start with high-quality floor mats.

Clean the Mat Area Regularly

One of the most integral parts of proper business mat maintenance is cleaning the surface and the area surrounding your floor mats, especially the bottoms of the mats. Make sure to include the surface of the mats and underneath the mats with your regular vacuuming schedule to help prevent wearing and tearing.

Aside from regularly cleaning them, it is also important to take a look at the amount of dirt that accumulates under your floor mats (especially your entrance and scraper mats). This is usually a good indicator of the overall condition of your floor mats. The heavier the accumulation is, the less dirt they are able to filter. Your floor mats need a more thorough cleaning or a total replacement.

Get Professional Mat Maintenance

Your commercial floor mats require better, more intensive maintenance. And for good reason! Floor mats go through a way worse beating than your regular floor mats at home.

Hiring a professional mat service to take care of your floor mats’ upkeep reduces the amount of burden on your end. More than that, a professional mat maintenance provider is better skilled and better equipped to handle your mat cleaning.

They provide a more thorough cleaning that removes small particles you may have missed. They also ensure the kind of cleaning service that preserves your floor mats’ appearance and safety qualities. As durable as even the highest quality of floor mats are, improper cleaning can cause fading, affect their traction, or cause damage that might be too great to fix or ignore.

The Right Place for Mat Upkeep is Specialty Mat

When it comes to your floor mat care, trust only Specialty Mat! We will make sure to not only clean your floor mats right, but also keep up with your floor mats’ regular cleaning schedule, so your floors are always at their cleanest and safest.

Contact us at (800) 941-MATS today to get started on the best professional floor mat care you can get for your business! 

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Safety and Hygiene

In 2018, common communicable illnesses (i.e. coughs and colds) accounted for 27.2% of all sick days. These are the exact same illnesses that are preventable by better hygiene – an important component of which is hand hygiene.  

No matter what business or industry you’re in, the importance of hand hygiene can never be underestimated. A stable supply of hand care products translates to better hand hygiene. Additionally, it makes for cleaner and safer workplaces, healthier employees, and higher productivity.

Reputation for Cleanliness

The condition of your business space speaks volumes about your brand. And whether we, business owners like it or not, we get judged a little too harshly and sometimes unfairly for it. For instance, a poor restroom can cause you to lose 75% of return customers. Low-quality restrooms earn a bad reputation for the rest of your business that no amount of good customer service or outright good service can salvage.

And it doesn’t take much to lose customers due to less-than-stellar restroom upkeep. Lack of toilet paper products and hand soaps (or the poor quality thereof) can all turn away customers.

Having high-quality hand care services for your business means securing the cleanliness of your business and cleaning up your business’s image. As simple as they are, their impact on your customers’ perception of your brand is immense. It makes you look like you care about their welfare, like you have everything under control, that no detail is ever too small for you to miss, and that you run a good, attentive, and clean business. In this business and social climate, it can mean the difference between staying afloat and going under.

Leaving Nothing to Chance

Speaking of the current business climate, it goes without saying that the pandemic has changed the way we do business. For those whose businesses rely on physical presence – both that of your employees and clients – it is important to fortify your defenses against communicable diseases. A stable supply of hand care and hygiene products helps you achieve that goal.

Aside from heavy and constant disinfection, giving employees and clients the means to keep their hands clean is covering all of your bases effectively.

Quality Hand Care Products and Quality Supply Services

To secure your business’s hand hygiene products, you’ll need to partner with a company that has:

• The right products
• The capacity to meet your supply demands
• The reputation for reliable, on-time service

When the welfare of your business, your clients, and your employees are what stands on the line, you can’t entrust something this important to just anyone. You need a partner who knows exactly what items you need and brings them to you in one high-quality, efficient, and convenient bundle.

Specialty Mat has You Covered!

Interested in this kind of certainty? Look no further: Specialty Mat has your back! We specialize in efficient services, making sure that you always have more than enough supplies to meet your needs and exceed your standards.

Get started today; all it takes is one call. Contact Specialty Mat for more information at (800) 941-MATS. 

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Different mats serve different purposes – and some are better suited for your needs than others. There’s no point in wasting money on poor quality mats or picking the ones that look the best against your business’s aesthetics. Quality business mats serve more important functions than looking good. They protect your business from costly floor care services and maybe even onsite injury. 

Quality Business Mats You Need to Protect Your Business

No matter what type of business you run, these are the most essential floor mat types that you need to protect your business:

Classic Mats and Logo Mats

Logo and classic mats may be your go-to option for your aesthetic mat needs, but they also protect floors against tracked-in dirt as well as slip and fall accidents. They are ideal for areas with low to mid-level foot traffic with minimal exposure to moisture.

Brush and Scraper Mats 

Brush and scraper mats provide businesses with defense against foot traffic, dirt, dust, and other contaminants that come with it. Their highly-abrasive surfaces ensure shoes are thoroughly scraped and don’t drag sediment or water into your business. With cleaner floors that stay clean longer, brush and scraper mats save time, effort, and money on floor cleanings!

Anti-Fatigue Mats

Employees who work on their feet are at a higher risk for strain in the lower limbs and lower back. Protect your business’s most vital assets by investing in high-quality anti-fatigue mats. Specialty Mat has anti-fatigue matting that contours to feet shape for maximum comfort, even through long periods. Anti-fatigue mats are also ideal for customer areas (e.g. changing rooms, powder rooms). 

Custom Mats

Custom floor mats may sound excessive, but they are one of the most important mats that you need to protect your business. On top of the performance, the quality, and the durability expected of quality matting by Specialty Mat, you can customize mat dimensions. We offer customizations for our scraper mats, logo mats, and anti-fatigue mats.

With customized floor mats, you can say goodbye to curling or folded edges of oversized mats or overlapping undersized mats – both of which increase the likelihood of trip and fall accidents. Better coverage also means better protection against dirt, heavy foot traffic, and premature wear and tear.  

Not All Mats Are Made Equal

When it comes to efficiently protecting your business, picking the right floor mats is only half of the equation. Who you work with to provide mat services is just as important. Your mat rental service provider plays the biggest role in ensuring the product quality, as well as the thoroughness and reliability of their products.

Make the Right Mat Rental Service Choice!

Interested in finding out more about your better floor mat choices? Contact Specialty Mat Services today! Call us at (800) 941-MATS or contact us through our online portal.

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