A sticky mat, also called a tacky mat or cleanroom mat, is a mat with an adhesive surface that is placed at the entrances or exits to certain workplaces to remove contaminants from the bottoms of footwear and wheeled carts such as

hand truck :''"Hand truck" may also refer to Pallet jack.'' A hand truck, also known as a hand trolley, dolly, stack truck, trundler, box cart, sack barrow, cart, sack truck, two wheeler, or bag barrow, is an L-shaped box-moving handcart with handles at o ...

s. They are an example of an engineering control within the

hierarchy of hazard control Hierarchy of hazard control is a system used in industry to minimize or eliminate exposure to hazards.

s. Sticky mats are typically used in

cleanroom A cleanroom or clean room is an engineered space, which maintains a very low concentration of airborne particulates. It is well isolated, well-controlled from contamination, and actively cleansed. Such rooms are commonly needed for scientif ...

s and

construction Construction is a general term meaning the art and science to form Physical object, objects, systems, or organizations,"Construction" def. 1.a. 1.b. and 1.c. ''Oxford English Dictionary'' Second Edition on CD-ROM (v. 4.0) Oxford University Pr ...

sites. Their purpose is to prevent

contaminants Contamination is the presence of a constituent, impurity, or some other undesirable element that spoils, corrupts, infects, makes unfit, or makes inferior a material, physical body, natural environment, workplace, etc. Types of contamination ...

from entering the site with personnel, and

hazardous materials Dangerous goods, abbreviated DG, are substances that when transported are a risk to health, safety, property or the environment. Certain dangerous goods that pose risks even when not being transported are known as hazardous materials ( syllab ...

from exiting. In a cleanroom setting, airborne particles that are not removed by the ventilation system deposit themselves onto a surface, where they can be transported by personnel walking on or past them. Sticky mats can be temporary or permanent. Temporary sticky mats are made of a stack of adhesive plastic film layers that are periodically peeled off and discarded. Permanent mats are made of a

polymer A polymer (; Greek '' poly-'', "many" + ''-mer'', "part") is a substance or material consisting of very large molecules called macromolecules, composed of many repeating subunits. Due to their broad spectrum of properties, both synthetic a ...

, usually polyester- or polyvinyl chloride-based, that binds particles through

electrostatic Electrostatics is a branch of physics that studies electric charges at rest ( static electricity). Since classical times, it has been known that some materials, such as amber, attract lightweight particles after rubbing. The Greek word for amb ...

forces. The peeling process for temporary mats may dislodge particles from the mat, causing inhalation risk. However, permanent mats must be washed with a

mop A mop (such as a floor mop) is a mass or bundle of coarse strings or yarn, etc., or a piece of cloth, sponge or other absorbent material, attached to a pole or stick. It is used to soak up liquid, for cleaning floors and other surfaces, to mop ...

and detergent, which is more time-consuming and may be done less often. A 2012 study found that temporary adhesive mats reduced the particle level on

shoe A shoe is an item of footwear intended to protect and comfort the human foot. They are often worn with a sock. Shoes are also used as an item of decoration and fashion. The design of shoes has varied enormously through time and from culture ...

s and overshoes by 20–50% while permanent polymeric flooring reduced it by approximately 80%, and that adhesive mats released more particles when they were dirtier and when they were peeled quickly. However, sticky mats placed outside the entrance to an operating room or suite have not been shown to reduce the number of organisms on shoes or

stretcher A stretcher, gurney, litter, or pram is an apparatus used for moving patients who require medical care. A basic type (cot or litter) must be carried by two or more people. A wheeled stretcher (known as a gurney, trolley, bed or cart) is often ...

wheels, nor do they reduce the risk of surgical site infections.

References

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External links

Ereada Far Infrared Amethyst Mats
Cleanroom technology Adhesives Safety equipment