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• The failure of floors made of polyurethane-cement composites was presented. • The reason that led to the failure was improper use of the floor. • The forklift drive wheels allowed to spin pallets in order to deliver them. • The consequence of spinning was the rapid local increase in floor temperature. • The increased temperature caused a thermal shock to which the floor was not resistant. The article presents the results of microstructural and mechanical testing of a floor made of polyurethane-cement composite significantly damaged after short-term use. The floor is located in a large-scale production and warehouse building. There was a lot of damage, including local abrasions, roughness, burns, and burning of the floor, which all threaten the safety of its use. Based on the carried out tests, errors in the execution of the tested floor were excluded and it was shown that the technology of its execution was correct. It was demonstrated, on the basis of research, that the reason that led to the damage was the improper use of the floor. This improper use consisted of allowing forklift drive wheels to spin pallets in order to deliver them with goods when adding or picking pallets to or from the pallet stack. The consequence of spinning was the rapid local increase in floor temperature, which caused a thermal shock to which the floor was not resistant. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]