Ramps or inclined surfaces

  • 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…

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  • 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…

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  • 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…

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  • The U.S. federal government’s Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) is considering a petition requesting rule making to require that manufacturers of floor coverings, floor coverings with coatings, and treated floor coverings label their products’ slip resistance in accordance with an ANSI/National Floor Safety Institute (NFSI) standard, B101.5. (NFSI, Safety Direct America and others offer for-fee…

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  • The National Safety Council’s (NSC) latest published statistics show that falls are causing 28,000 deaths in the USA annually (see p. 19 of their report). This is the equivalent of a 9/11/2001 attack every six weeks, all year long. Moreover, falls deaths are approaching motor-vehicle deaths. Safety Direct America offers products and services that can…

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  • Flooring that gets high foot traffic and can get wet or greasy in use needs slip resistance (or skid resistance) that stands up well under wear rather than losing its wet slip resistance after a few weeks. McDonalds Restaurants spent years in research and devised a laboratory slip test that assesses how well the wet…

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  • 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.…

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  • At Safety Direct America, we are experts in slip resistance (or coefficient of friction) testing. There is little information available in regards to what COF is required for different angles of pedestrian ramps.This blog entry discusses some published information on the subject of how much coefficient of friction is needed on various types of ramps…

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