In February of 2022, the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) issued a revised version of their “Test Method for Measuring Dynamic Coefficient of Friction of Hard Surface Flooring Materials.” The test method is called ANSI A326.3, and it sets a very low bar for DCOF in various flooring areas. Slip and fall accidents will likely […]
Tag Archives: DCOF tile test
Suggested Specifications for Lifetime Slip Resistance of Flooring
When we’re buying new automobile tires we’d like to know not only that the tires are good at the time of purchase, but that they will have a reasonably long lifetime for us. Michelin, for instance, offers models with mileage warranties (within a time limit) from 36,000 to 80,000 miles. When buying slip-resistant flooring, customers […]
Maximum Coefficient of Friction is not Limited to 1.00
It’s sometimes assumed that coefficient of friction (COF) has a maximum theoretical and practical value of 1.00. This isn’t true; there is no maximum. It is true that values exceeding 1.00 are so slip-resistant that their actual value is often of little interest. Some COF measuring instruments, such as BOT-3000E and English XL, are not […]
Germany’s DIN 51130 Slip Test: What’s it Good For?
In Europe, a slip resistance test for flooring is prescribed by German Institute for Normalization (DIN) standard DIN 51130. A person wearing industrial-type treaded shoes walks, facing down slope, on a variable-angle ramp which has the flooring to be tested on it. The flooring is coated with motor oil. The walker (without holding the handrails) […]
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 […]
Floor Slip Rating: SCOF vs. DCOF
Static coefficient of friction (SCOF) was formerly used to measure the slip resistance of a wet floor in the USA, but the test method (ASTM C1028) was withdrawn by the ASTM in 2014. Experts in the USA now know to use dynamic coefficient of friction (DCOF), as the rest of the world has been using […]
Pendulum: The Most Widely Used Slip Resistance Test Worldwide
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 (DCOF rating). It is a national floor slip test standard in at least 50 […]
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 […]