The pendulum skid tester, known in the U.S. as the “British pendulum” although it was invented at the U.S. National Bureau of Standards, is the most widely used floor slip resistance tester worldwide for measuring the slip resistance of pedestrian surfaces. It is a national floor slip test standard in at least 49 nations. There […]
ANSI Issuing Another Standard Slip Test Method for Flooring Materials
The American National Standards Institute (ANSI) is issuing a new test method, with minimum dynamic coefficient of friction (COF) standard, for slip resistance of hard flooring materials, wet or dry, laboratory or field testing. No minimum COF is provided for exterior applications. The BOT-3000E digital tribometer is approved for testing. The Secretariat for the new […]
Slip Resistance of Basketball and Volleyball Floors
Floors for indoor sports (basketball, volleyball, etc.) need careful attention to their dry slip resistance. Players must have enough traction to start and stop quickly, yet not so much that they can’t pivot rapidly. Fortunately, there are well-defined and long-accepted standards for the slip resistance of these floors, using the pendulum skid testing instrument with […]
2017 Flooring Trends
Flooring Trends to Try Flooring styles come and go, but a few have remained classics throughout the years. Although red shag carpet is definitely not in, hardwood flooring has always been a sought-after look. Here are some of the top 2017 flooring trends to keep your eye out for and incorporate into your home: Luxury […]
Fixing Your Slippery Epoxy Floor
We are continually amazed at how often contractors will install an epoxy floor coating with little or no effort to make it slip-resistant under its known conditions of use — namely, sometimes wet and/or greasy. This happens in commercial, industrial, and household situations. Sometimes there’s no abrasive added to help with wet slip resistance. Other […]
Floor and Tile Slip Resistance Testing Lab: Fast Turnaround AND Low Prices
Safety Direct America makes a specialty of floor slip resistance (coefficient of friction) testing, offering both fast turnaround times and low prices. Here’s a comparison with our chief competitor, using ANSI A137.1 dynamic coefficient of friction testing (DCOF AcuTest) as an example: Turnaround time Our price […]
The Four Slipperiest Areas of Your Home
Did you know that over 18,000 Americans die every year due to injuries sustained in the home? Falls are the leading cause! The best way to avoid becoming a slip-and-fall victim is to learn what areas of your home are potential hazards and take the appropriate measures to prevent them. Find out what areas of […]
Water Parks: Inputs Wanted for Splash Pad Slip Resistance Standard
“Splash pads” are areas that contain water-play features and may contain play structures, but do not permit water to accumulate to any real depth. Their aliases include aquatic play pad, spray zone, spray pool, spray pad, spray deck, rain deck, and splash deck. There are 5,000–10,000 commercial or public splash pads in the USA, and […]
John Glenn’s career-changing slip and fall
The world mourns the loss of pioneering astronaut and former U.S. senator John H. Glenn Jr., who in 1959 became one of America’s first astronauts, one of the “Mercury Seven,” and was the first American to orbit the Earth. Less remembered is the slip-and-fall accident that was a major factor in his early political career, […]
Restaurant Cleaning to Prevent Slips and Falls
When your restaurant floors are greasy, dirty, or wet, the efficacy of even the best anti-slip flooring solutions is greatly reduced. To maximize the safety of your staff and patrons, proper cleaning is necessary to maintain the traction of your anti-slip floors. Use Your Tools Wisely Your floor cleaning instruments are your number one tools […]