Nothing sends a shiver down the spine of a 9-year-old like those two simple words. It’s not the words themselves, mind you; it’s the Murphy’s-Law fact that they’re issued by the child’s mother immediately after his friends have come within earshot, providing the ammunition for torment for days to come. Ah, childhood.

The adult world has it’s own version: “I’ll see you in court.” Find me the building-service contractor who enjoys hearing that phrase, and I’ll show you someone who needs a stay in a small, comfy room with both belt and shoelaces removed.

Safety is defined by “Webster’s II New College Dictionary” as the state of being safe. Thank you, Webster’s. Trying for something a little less vague, safe is defined as secure from harm, danger, or evil. I think we can all agree that this sounds like a good thing.

The summer installment of Commercial Floor Care is focused on, you guessed it, safety. Hard surface expert Bob Merkt looks at “You and Your Clients: Partners in Safety,” an examination of how the floor care professional and his customer must have a meeting of minds as to the responsibility of each when it comes to floor maintenance.

“Safety from the Bottom Up” by 3M’s David Sebesta looks at the costs of slip-and-fall accidents and how preventative measures can work to reduce them. William Atkinson explores “Floor Safety and Maintenance,” an overall glimpse of what experts in the fields of equipment manufacturing, risk control and insurance look at when it comes to assessing safety in the commercial floor care arena.

CFC editorial assistant Michael Chmielecki talks with a variety of equipment manufacturers to determine what safety issues they take into consideration when designing cleaning instruments in “Safety Equipment for the Commercial Environment.”

Robert Kravitz shows the impact of the eye on safety in “Using Color to Prevent Slips and Falls,” Geoffrey Greeley takes the beach to task in “Removing Sand From Carpet,” and Virginia Petru looks at carpet cleaning from a different point of view in “Cleaning The Carpet Mills’ Way.”

All in all, a pretty safe approach to summer floor care.