Bathtubs, in hotels or homes, are in areas where slip accidents can be very serious or fatal because there are hard objects in close proximity that can be easily struck by the head after a slip — the side of the tub, the faucet, toilets and sinks. Bare feet are soft and essentially treadless, and […]
Slip Resistance Safety for Industrial and Commercial Areas
Minimum wet slip resistance values (as wet Pendulum Test Values) for safety in many publicly accessible areas are listed elsewhere on this blog. But what about industrial areas used for very slippery operations like meat or fish processing, making mayonnaise or refining cooking oils, and for aircraft repair hangars? Guidance for these, recommended since 1999, […]
Germany’s DIN 51130 Slip Test: What’s it Good For?
In Europe a slip resistance test for flooring is prescribed by German Institute for Normalization (DIN) standard DIN 51130. A person wearing industrial-type treaded shoes walks, facing downslope, on a variable-angle ramp which has the flooring to be tested on it. The flooring is coated with motor oil. The walker (without holding the handrails) adjusts […]
SparkleTuff Outdoors on Level Surface and Stairs: 30-second video
The video below shows an outdoor level surface and stairs at a large mall, coated with transparent SparkleTuff™ Anti-Slip. A pedestrian walks down the stairs, which are partially wet from the previous day’s rain. With a material cost of about a dollar a square foot, SparkleTuff™ has excellent wet slip resistance by all respected test […]
Proven Standard Dynamic Friction (DCOF) Test Instrument for $1980!
The SlipAlert dynamic coefficient of friction tester has been in wide use for many years but now is offered by Safety Direct America for a limited time at close to half of its previous price! A roller-coaster type of dynamic floor slip tester, SlipAlert’s friction measurement was modeled after the physics of the pendulum DCOF […]
Many Polished Concrete Floors are Slippery when Wet
Can polished concrete floors be slippery when wet? Several web sites say yes, but others (mostly polished concrete vendors) say no, it only looks that way. A study of polished concrete published by the American Society of Concrete Contractors (ASCC) in Concrete International shows wet dynamic coefficients of friction (DCOF) as measured by ANSI A137.1 […]
A Review of Standards for Pedestrian Slip Resistance Testing
There are a number of floor slip test methods established by standards-setting organizations that assess pedestrian slip resistance. Here we’ll review the most widely known and current ones. They are distinguished by the devices used in the testing. Terms such as DCOF rating, coefficient of friction, slip coefficient, slip resistance rating, and friction coefficient all […]
Beware of Slippery Finished-in-Place Floors Installed by Clueless Contractors
Some floors are covered with premanufactured stuff, such as marble, granite or ceramic tiles, wood, or vinyl composite tile. Other floors are created in place — including epoxy, terrazzo, and concrete. Topical sealers added to premanufactured floors also constitute a finished-in-place surface — the pedestrian is not walking on the flooring, but on the sealer. […]
Surveillance to Detect Slip and Fall Hazards on Commercial Floors
Surveillance of floors to detect spills, dropped produce, and other hazards is an important part of many safety plans, particularly on floors that have poor wet slip resistance. This includes most floors in customer areas of supermarkets. In one supermarket slip and fall case, a court ruled that inspections every 12 minutes were necessary in […]
Making Your Stairs Safer
An important part of ensuring the safety of stairs is making sure the steps are clearly visible. This is especially true for commercial properties, but can also be crucial for private homes — particularly if the occupants are visually impaired to some extent. These outdoor stairs at a civic building are quite easy to see […]