Slip and fall injuries can carry total liabilities that are often in the hundreds of thousands of dollars or even more. Investment in flooring is long-term and often involves appreciable capital, whether you are an individual homeowner or have a string of large office buildings and shopping centers. Though the charges for floor slip resistance tests are low, the stakes are high!

With hundreds of people in the USA offering flooring slip resistance tests, how can you make sure that your money is well spent and that you’re getting laboratory or on-site field slip test results that are reliable and useful? Here are our recommendations.

1. The testing company should preferably have been in business for many years, and must at any time be capable of covering the deductible amount in their errors and omissions insurance

2. They must be certified for floor friction testing by a reputable government agency

3. Reports must be signed and stamped by a state-registered Professional Engineer

4. The testing company must carry Errors and Omissions and General Liability insurance, from a reputable carrier, that covers the testing activity

5. The testing company should not be wedded to just a single type of skid test, but should be capable of doing any reputable slip resistance test you might need — including, if applicable, the McDonalds Restaurants Sustainable Slip Resistance test. (New flooring should be slip-resistant under conditions of use not just on Day One, but throughout a useful economic life.)

Now about our company. Sotter Engineering Corporation, doing business as Safety Direct America, has been in business since 1987 and was incorporated on January 2, 1992. Our insurance deductible is only $1000 and the company has of course always been easily capable of covering that from cash and other liquid reserves.

We are certified by the City of Los Angeles to test floors for slip resistance. This is one of the few government agencies in the USA that awards such a certification. Annual re-certification is required, and we have maintained it for decades.

Our reports are signed and stamped by a California state-registered Chemical Engineer. Quality is subject to review by the State Board of Engineers, Land Surveyors, and Geologists.

Our Errors and Omissions and General Liability combined policy is with Evanston Insurance Company, Financial Strength Rating A (Excellent) by A.M. Best. The ultimate parent company has been rated by Best since 1983. Its long-term issuer rating is A+. These two ratings have been stable for at least five years. Our carrier is aware that we are involved in slip resistance treatment, consultation and testing and these activities are specifically mentioned in our policy. We have never had an insurance or injury claim in the history of our company. Coverage for work we do for or in foreign countries can be covered in specific cases if arrangements are made.

We are capable of conducting tests using the BOT-3000E, the pendulum skid tester, and several other accepted test devices including SlipAlert and the Surtronic Duo surface roughness gauge. We are in the top three labs worldwide for accuracy of pendulum testing.

It almost goes without saying, test charges must be reasonable and competitive. Ours are! And turnaround time is normally three business days or less.

We believe we are the most highly qualified slip resistance test laboratory in the Americas, and we may be the only one that offers the McDonalds Restaurants Sustainable Slip Resistance Test. We want to be your slip resistance test laboratory!