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 […]
Let’s be Careful on Stairs!
Accidents on stairs can be serious and even fatal. We need to be attentive and play it safe. Always hold the handrail or (if you fear colds and flu) keep a free hand close to the handrail so you can grab it at any time. Hand sanitizer can help reduce the chance of getting sick, […]
The Crooked Expert Witness
Too often litigation is influenced by testimony from an “expert witness” who is “crooked as a hound dog’s hind leg.” More than a century and a half ago, English judges started complaining about the lack of independence and objectivity when hearing expert evidence. That lament was aptly illustrated in the case of Lord Arbinger v […]
The Five-Second Check of Stair Rise and Run
Because falls on stairs can cause especially severe injuries and even deaths, building codes for stairs are very stringent. When we use stairs that are properly constructed, we can walk with ease and converse at the same time, nearly unaware that our feet are performing a rather complex operation. Ease and safety depend on each […]
New Study Shows Sotter Engineering to be one of World’s Most Accurate Pendulum Floor Slip Test Labs
A recent global interlaboratory program “Slip Resistance Proficiency Testing — Pendulum Friction Tester,” showed Sotter Engineering Corporation’s Safety Direct America (SDA) floor slip resistance testing laboratory to be one of the world’s most accurate in use of the pendulum skid tester. The pendulum is a national standard for pedestrian floor and tile slip resistance testing […]
Financial losses from slip and fall accidents
Slip and fall accidents are the #1 reason Americans show up at emergency rooms, according to data from the CDC. Slippery floors are a silent epidemic in America, and lawsuits are filed daily across the nation involving major injuries and deaths from slippery floors. Unless the negligent party is the victim’s employer, the victim of […]