ASTM D2047 – an unreliable, irrelevant and worthless “floor safety” scam

ASTM D2047 was first published by the ASTM in 1953 using the James Machine to assess the “safety” of Floor Wax and Floor Polish. It was never intended to be used to assess the safety of floors, but because about 99% of floor waxes back in the 1950’s “passed” this nonsensical “test” with greater than … Continue reading “ASTM D2047 – an unreliable, irrelevant and worthless “floor safety” scam”

How to Get The Slip and Fall “Expert” Witness Testimony from an English XL VIT and Brungraber Mark IIIB User Thrown Out of Court

Slip and fall “expert” witnesses in the United States typically use either the English XL Variable Incidence Tribometer (VIT) or the Brungraber Mark IIIB, which is incredibly frightening considering that neither of these two instruments have a published, peer-reviewed test method in any country on earth, and both (the English XL and Brungraber Mark II, … Continue reading “How to Get The Slip and Fall “Expert” Witness Testimony from an English XL VIT and Brungraber Mark IIIB User Thrown Out of Court”

Can a Floor be Too Slip Resistant?

As floor slip resistance testing experts with decades of experience, we’re sometimes asked if a floor can be too slip resistant, usually by someone who is trying to sell a flooring that is likely too slippery for a particular application. The answer, put simply, is no. There is no such thing as a floor that’s … Continue reading “Can a Floor be Too Slip Resistant?”

ASTM F2508 and the pendulum slip resistance tester

ASTM F2508 is based on a rigorous scientific study of 11 tribometers (or floor slip resistance test devices) that was held at the University of Southern California Medical Center. The peer-reviewed results were published in 2010 in the Journal of Forensic Sciences. Four tiles were tested with the 11 slip test devices, and later a … Continue reading “ASTM F2508 and the pendulum slip resistance tester”

Why We Offer a “Recommended Tile Slip Test Package”

When our clients ask for an ANSI/NFSI A137.1 test we often recommend that they order a pendulum test as well. The pair of floor slip resistance tests is popular, and we offer a discounted price of $477.00 (for lab testing) when they are ordered together. The reason has to do with the A137.1 standard — … Continue reading “Why We Offer a “Recommended Tile Slip Test Package””

Article published in The Construction Specifier magazine talks slip resistance

John C. Sotter and George Sotter of Safety Direct America were published in the July issue of The Construction Specifier magazine with an article talking about floor slip resistance and keeping floors safe for pedestrians. The article talks about the latest International Building Code (IBC) requirements for slip resistance, and its limitations as far as … Continue reading “Article published in The Construction Specifier magazine talks slip resistance”

Stop Slips on Cruise Ships!

Since 2008, Safety Direct America has been helping some of the world’s foremost cruise ship companies to prevent slips and falls by helping their designers choose flooring appropriate to the situation (with the correct level of wet coefficient of friction). The work improves safety both on new cruise ships and on ships that are routinely … Continue reading “Stop Slips on Cruise Ships!”

Slip-and-fall Fraud — Some Clues

How can you avoid slip-and-fall scams on your property? First and foremost, eliminate hazards. The initial step is testing floor slip resistance before a fall is reported. Failing that, pay attention when someone reports a slip, even if it didn’t lead to a fall or injury. That report put you on notice — you can’t … Continue reading “Slip-and-fall Fraud — Some Clues”