The American National Standards Institute (ANSI) is issuing a new test method, with minimum dynamic coefficient of friction (DCOF rating), for slip resistance of hard flooring materials, wet or dry, laboratory or field testing. No minimum DCOF is provided for exterior applications. The BOT-3000E digital tribometer is used for the testing. The Secretariat for the […]
Archive | Slips on cruise ships
RSS feed for this sectionFixing Your Slippery Epoxy/Polyurea/Polyaspartic Floor
We are continually amazed at how often contractors will install an epoxy (or polyurea or polyaspartic) floor coating (especially to garages and outdoor walkways) 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. Here’s what […]
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 […]
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, […]
Slip Resistance of Floor Graphics
The September/October 2016 edition of SGIA Journal (Special Graphic Imaging Association), pp 89–92 has an article, “New Slip Resistance Specifications — Are You in Compliance?”, by the Marketing Manager of Mactac Distributor Products (“Technology that Sticks”, including indoor and outdoor floor graphics). He discusses the following about American National Standards Institute (ANSI) Standard B101.3: […]
COF vs. Pendulum Test Value (PTV to DCOF conversion table)
Pendulum slip (or skid) resistance data are usually expressed as PTV, Pendulum Test Value (or sometimes BPN, British Pendulum Number, or even SRV, Slip Resistance Value). The question has been asked, “What’s the coefficient of friction?” This number (dynamic COF – DCOF) was calculated decades ago at the U.S. National Bureau of Standards, and can […]
Top 10 Ways of Preventing Slips
Here’s a countdown of some of the most simple and cost-effective ways of stopping slip and fall accidents. 10. Post warnings when and where appropriate. 9. Use solings appropriate to the situation. 8. Chemically etch or grind concrete if it’s too smooth. 7. Make sure stairs comply with your local building code, and that nosings […]
Safe Shoes for Slippery Situations
Many people work in situations that can be very slippery underfoot. For instance, a commercial (restaurant or fast-food) kitchen that might have grease on the floor from deep fryers that broadcast it into the air; or a hotel lobby’s glossy floor that needs to be cleaned nightly with detergent solution. In non-work situations, spa slippers […]
A bulletproof defense against slip-fall losses
If someone falls, or claims to have fallen, due to a slip on your premises, the key question from a responsibility standpoint is, were you negligent? And did your negligence contribute to the alleged accident? Here’s how to best assure that you won’t be found negligent. You need to do everything a reasonable person can […]