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 […]
Tag Archives: slip resistance test
How to Prevent Slips and Falls on a Swimming Pool Deck
Unfortunately, many swimming pool decks are slippery when wet as installed! This can and too often does lead to severe accidents for both children and adults. The deck that was supposed to supply fun for the family, club members, or the public becomes a liability that causes pain, suffering, expensive medical treatment, and income losses. […]
Slippery Tub Solution
Do you have a slippery tub or shower? Chances are you do! Historically, outdated and unreliable slip resistance test methods were used to determine the slipperiness of tubs in the United States, leading to virtually every tub sold being treacherous to use while wet. Slips and falls in tubs and showers often lead to horrible […]
What’s the Difference Between the Three ANSI standards for floor slip resistance?
The American National Standards Institute (ANSI) has three pedestrian floor friction standards involving tests using the BOT-3000E digital tribometer, intended for testing flooring for indoor use. Why do they have three standards, and what’s the difference between them? They all have different test methods and different minimum coefficient of friction values (0.42, 0.43, and 0.60). […]
When Should You Test Flooring for Slip Resistance?
Many building owners find themselves in trouble after a refurbishment or new build, because the flooring is unexpectedly slippery when wet. An entrance lobby, restroom, pool deck, spa, or factory floor are common locations where this problem occurs. When should flooring be tested for slip resistance? Some architects might say, “Never.” Many lawyers might say, […]
Do All Pedestrian Ramps Need the Same Coefficient of Friction?
The minimum safety standard for coefficient of friction for a pedestrian ramp should depend on the angle of the ramp and the weight of the separate load (shopping cart, wheelchair, gurney, etc.), if any, the pedestrian is controlling. However, that’s not how American safety standards are written. In the USA, traditionally safety standards for slip […]
Does ANSI Tile Spec A137.1 help protect you from liability for slipping accidents?
If you specify or buy flooring based on a minimum wet dynamic coefficient of friction of 0.42, you may be vulnerable to charges of negligence if a slipping injury occurs on that floor. Here we tell you why, and how to avoid the situation. American National Standards Institute (ANSI) issued its standard A137.1, “Specifications for […]
Head Off Litigation with Third-Party Confidential Periodic Floor Slip Resistance Testing
Slips and falls can result from a wide range of causes. To avoid litigation your commercial property needs to be immune to claims that your negligence caused an injury. The most effective way of doing this is to have Safety Direct America periodically slip test your floors for slip resistance, and have your floor care […]
Improving the World’s Most Sophisticated Floor Slip-Resistance Safety Standards
In June’s post we discussed situation-specific slip resistance safety standards, which reflect the use or function of a floor and the friction (coefficient of friction) demands placed on it. Many U.S. floor friction standards are “one size fits all” — for instance, a wet dynamic coefficient of friction (DCOF) of 0.43 is considered adequate for […]
BOT-3000 Data Can Help Building Owners Monitor Changes in Floor Slip Resistance
Periodic testing of your company’s floors’ slip resistance can detect problems so they can be solved before they cause an accident, and can help verify that there are no remaining problems. Routine monitoring slip tests are typically conducted quarterly, semiannually, or annually. However, various unrelated pedestrian factors such as prescription and non-prescription drug use, intoxication, […]