Food and pharmaceutical facilities live under constant scrutiny. Standards for hygiene, process control and worker safety are strict, and external auditors are trained to spot anything that could compromise them. The condition of the floor might seem like a detail compared with equipment or documentation, but in practice it is one of the elements that most clearly reflects how a plant is managed.
A floor that is difficult to clean, visibly damaged or poorly documented can lead to observations, corrective action plans and, in some cases, production downtime. It is not enough to have a “strong floor”; you need a suitable flooring system and an experienced partner to design, install and maintain it. In many cases that means working with an industrial flooring company that understands how auditors look at floors in inspected environments.
This article explains how auditors typically assess floors in food and pharmaceutical facilities, which issues they notice most often, and how a specialised flooring partner can help you approach your next inspection with confidence.
Why floors matter so much in audited environments
In a standard logistics warehouse, a worn floor may be seen mainly as an operational problem. In a food production area or a pharmaceutical facility, the same defect can become a potential hygiene risk, a sign of non-compliance or a trigger for safety concerns.
Auditors look at the floor with three simple questions in mind:
- Can this floor promote the accumulation of dirt, moisture or microorganisms?
- Can it be cleaned and disinfected reliably, day after day?
- Is it safe for people and for internal traffic?
If the answer to any of these questions is unclear, the discussion quickly moves beyond “maintenance” and into the territory of quality systems, regulatory requirements and corporate standards. That is why, in food and pharma, the floor is part of the audited envelope, not just another construction element.
How auditors look at hygiene and cleanability
In food and pharmaceutical facilities, the floor forms part of the hygienic shell of the building. An experienced auditor does not just look at colour or gloss; they try to understand whether the surface supports or undermines microbiological control.
Zones with cracks, open joints, pinholes or poorly integrated patches attract attention immediately. Each discontinuity is a potential point where product residues, wash water or biofilm can accumulate. If those areas are also difficult to reach with standard cleaning tools, the risk is even higher.
Auditors also pay attention to how the floor reacts to sanitation procedures. In many plants, cleaning involves a combination of alkaline and acidic detergents, powerful disinfectants and water at different temperatures. If the floor has softened, lost gloss in irregular patches or shows visible chemical attack, it suggests that the system cannot withstand the cleaning regime for which the facility is validated.
In cleanrooms and laboratories, the level of sensitivity is even higher. A porous, dusting or rough floor is very difficult to reconcile with the particle and hygiene control required in these spaces. Even if the rest of the room appears immaculate, a weak floor surface will quickly become a point of discussion.
Typical issues auditors notice on existing floors
Every site is different, but some patterns appear repeatedly in floor-related audit findings.
One of the most common is joint damage. In areas with frequent traffic from forklifts or pallet trucks, joint edges break down and round off. This creates small steps, microcracks and cavities where dirt accumulates. From the auditor’s point of view, it is a sign of inadequate maintenance and an obvious potential contamination point.
Another frequent issue is concrete dusting. Surfaces that leave a grey residue when you wipe a hand or a finger are not compatible with high-hygiene environments. In a dry storage warehouse this might be a nuisance; in a room where food, active ingredients or sterile packaging are handled, it is a serious concern. An undensified, unsealed concrete floor sheds fine particles that can reach product, equipment or filters.
Improvised repairs are also highly visible. Isolated patches of mortar that do not match the surrounding floor, small resin puddles poured straight from a bucket, or areas where epoxy paint has been applied simply to “cover up” a defect all send the same message: short-term fixes instead of a controlled flooring strategy.
In facilities with older resin coatings, auditors know that blistered, flaking or debonded areas are critical. Under a layer that has detached from the substrate, liquids, organic matter and dirt can accumulate, completely out of reach of normal cleaning. The edge of the blister also creates a step that degrades quickly under wheeled traffic.
Finally, standing water on the floor – whether around drains, next to equipment bases or near loading docks – is almost always interpreted as a design or maintenance failure. Wherever water remains, so do dirt and microorganisms, which contradicts the “clean and dry” principle that guides both food and pharma hygiene.
What auditors expect from a flooring system in food and pharma
Behind every specific observation there are some clear expectations about how a floor should perform in these environments.
First, auditors expect a surface that does not generate dust and is as closed as realistically possible. Densified and properly treated concrete, or an equivalent system, should minimise liquid absorption and prevent process or cleaning fluids from penetrating the material and degrading it over time.
They also assume that the floor provides adequate slip resistance under real operating conditions, not just when freshly installed. In wet or washdown areas, the balance between safety and ease of cleaning is delicate: too much profile makes disinfection difficult; too little creates slip risks. More than a single test value, auditors value the existence of a clear criterion and traceability in how slip resistance has been evaluated.
In terms of chemical resistance, the system must tolerate the detergents, sanitisers and process-related substances used on site without softening, chalking or breaking down. If the surface layer degrades, the particles released can contaminate product or equipment, and the floor quickly becomes harder to clean.
Mechanical resistance is another key element. In facilities with heavy internal logistics – forklifts, AGVs, trolleys – the surface must withstand impacts, turning forces and repeated movements without disintegrating or opening new cracks. A floor that cannot cope with normal traffic will reveal its weaknesses long before the next audit.
Finally, auditors look favourably on systems backed by solid documentation: technical data sheets, relevant test results, cleaning instructions and, where applicable, specific certifications. This is where the capacity of your supplier or pharmaceutical flooring system provider to support what has been installed becomes visible.
The role of a specialised industrial flooring company
Having a good flooring system is only half of the equation; the other half is who designs it, installs it and keeps it performing over time. A general contractor may be excellent at managing civils and building works, but not necessarily prepared to discuss floor suitability with your quality team or an external auditor.
A specialised industrial flooring company in the UK that focuses on industrial concrete floors approaches the problem differently. Before proposing any solution, it will:
- Survey the existing slab and surface
- Identify the root causes of current issues (joints, cracks, moisture, legacy coatings)
- Classify defects by risk and impact on hygiene, safety and operations
The aim is not simply to “paint over” the problem, but to decide what needs to be repaired, what must be removed and what can realistically be retained. In some cases, this involves small cores or pull-off tests, surface hardness checks and, where relevant, moisture measurements. Such data are essential to decide whether a film-forming coating makes sense, whether a densified polished concrete system is more robust, or whether certain areas require full reconstruction.
During execution, a specialised company understands that the site is an operating plant, not a greenfield project. That means phased work, coordination with production and cleaning teams, and constant communication with QA and EHS. In food and pharma facilities, the logistics of the works are often almost as important as the technical solution itself.
After completion, the same partner should be able to provide a coherent documentation package: system description, products used, substrate preparation criteria, cleaning and maintenance recommendations and, where possible, test results to support the declared performance. This documentation becomes part of your audit defence, not just a file in a drawer.
BECOSAN® polished concrete in food and pharmaceutical environments
In many industrial buildings, polished concrete treated with densification and sealing systems has replaced traditional resin coatings. In food and pharmaceutical environments, this approach can be particularly attractive when you need a continuous, hard, easy-to-clean surface without the long-term risks associated with film-forming systems.
The BECOSAN® process is based on the idea that the concrete itself can become the final finish if treated correctly. This involves controlled grinding or polishing of the surface, the application of a densifier that compacts the cement paste and eliminates dusting, and a penetrating sealer that reduces liquid absorption without creating a surface film.
The result is a floor that retains the appearance of an industrial concrete slab but offers much higher performance: a harder, less porous surface, better resistance to traffic and intensive cleaning, and no separate coating layer that can blister or peel.
In areas where hygiene requirements are particularly demanding – preparation rooms, packaging halls, finished goods storage – a properly designed polished concrete floor can offer a very favourable balance between cleanliness, durability and total cost of ownership, provided it is integrated into a suitable cleaning regime and inspected periodically.
For environments with more specific pharmaceutical requirements, the pharmaceutical flooring system concept provides a framework to combine substrate preparation, treatment and documentation in a way that aligns with GMP and internal quality standards.
When to act: preparing your floor before the next audit
Many floor refurbishment projects in food and pharmaceutical facilities start too late, when an auditor has already written a finding. At that point, the margin for manoeuvre shrinks and the pressure on maintenance and production teams increases.
It is far better to review the condition of the floor well in advance, while there is still time to plan. Some early warning signs are easy to spot:
- Cleaning takes longer and results are less satisfactory, even with the same procedures
- Dust repeatedly appears on equipment, pipework or low surfaces near the floor
- Joints re-open or break down again shortly after being repaired
- Coatings or patch materials lift, crack or detach in the same locations
- Operators or cleaning staff report that certain areas are “never really clean”
At this stage, an on-site assessment by an industrial flooring company with experience in audited plants can help you prioritise. Not every defect carries the same weight in an audit. In some cases, a targeted intervention on joints, patches and areas with standing water is enough to significantly reduce risk and improve the impression your floor gives to an inspector.
Work with an industrial flooring company that understands audits
Ultimately, the floor in your food or pharmaceutical facility is not just part of the building structure; it is part of your quality system, your hygiene strategy and your safety culture. The way an auditor perceives it says a lot about how your organisation manages the details.
Working with a partner who understands that reality makes a real difference. A flooring supplier who only thinks in terms of square metres and thicknesses will struggle when the discussion turns to GMP clauses, HACCP plans or contamination control. In contrast, an industrial flooring company that regularly works in audited environments can help you translate those requirements into concrete decisions about repair, treatment and long-term maintenance.
BECOSAN® combines concrete floor repair, grinding and polishing with densification and sealing treatments to create continuous, robust and easy-to-clean surfaces in food plants, laboratories and distribution centres for sensitive products. Through solutions such as its pharmaceutical flooring system, the goal is not just to deliver a new floor, but a flooring system that supports daily production, hygiene routines and the demands of your next audits.
If your next inspection is already on the calendar and the floor is on your list of concerns, this is the right moment to evaluate its condition calmly and, if necessary, redesign it with a long-term strategy rather than another short-term repair.