Most hotels and motels with slippery bathtub and shower floors have been using suction cup mats to give bathers safer footing, albeit only on a small part of the slippery surface. These mats need to be laundered daily or they will harbor bacteria, foot fungus and mold. Because of the laundering the mats deteriorate quickly […]
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BREAKING NEWS: Dynamic Slip Testing Enters International Building Code!
Slip accident prevention in the USA and Canada finally emerged from the Stone Age when dynamic coefficient of friction testing with a specific test method and safety standard became a verified part of the current International Building Code (IBC) in February 2013. The IBC is used mainly in the USA, but a few others use it […]
Top 5 Ways of Keeping your Slippery Floor Dry
Many of the most attractive floors are smooth and glossy, and over 99 percent of those are slippery when wet although they often have excellent slip resistance when dry. When they’re near an outside door special care is needed to keep them dry to prevent slip accidents. Here’s how. 1. Have an overhang outside so […]
Travel and Dining Apps, Websites Report on Slippery Floors
Think no one notices that your business has slippery floors? Check out web sites and apps like TripAdvisor and Yelp. Customers are likely to report slippery floors, and this could attract scammers. (Some of the reports may even be posted by scammers in preparation for their next score!) You don’t need that kind of publicity. […]
Safe Coefficient of Friction Values for Inclined Surfaces (Ramps)
At Safety Direct America, we are experts in slip resistance (or coefficient of friction) testing. There is little information available in regards to what COF is required for different angles of pedestrian ramps.This blog entry discusses some published information on the subject of how much coefficient of friction is needed on various types of ramps […]
Stop Slips on Cruise Ships
A slip and fall on a cruise ship can not only ruin several peoples’ dream vacation, but also cost a cruise line company major bucks. Two of the world’s largest cruise ship companies are now using Safety Direct America for testing and recommendations to prevent future slipping accidents. Cruise ships are especially vulnerable to slips due […]
Anti-Slip Bath and Shower Coatings and Tapes
Got a slippery shower or bathtub? These are pretty dangerous places to have a slip and fall accident with all the glass doors, fixed metal faucets, and mirrors around! Chances are you won’t end up with a sore butt when you have an accident in the bath, but you will be headed for a hospital […]
Specify Sustainable Slip Resistance for High-Traffic Flooring
In many commercial situations (restaurants, outdoor malls, lobbies, restrooms, etc.) it’s necessary not only that the flooring be slip-resistant when wet, but that it remain slip-resistant for years under high foot traffic. This is known as Sustainable Slip Resistance (SSR). McDonalds Restaurant chain discovered that when they installed slip-resistant flooring in the customer areas of […]
Testing Anti-Slip Floor Tapes, Treatments and Coatings
Slip and fall accidents are a huge concern in America as the average age of the population is on the rise. Broken hips for the elderly often lead to long hospital stays and premature deaths. Slip and fall accidents also account for the greatest number of lost work days for American employees in the workplace. […]
Test Feet for Slip Resistance Testing
Safety Direct America can use six different test foot (slider) materials for floor slip resistance testing in different situations with the BOT-3000 digital tribometer. (1) A Neolite slider is specified for ANSI B101.1, wet static coefficient of friction.This test should not be done in the wet condition to assess safety. (2) Leather, used for dry […]