Slipping accident prevention
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There are three widely-held misconceptions about pedestrian slip resistance. If you’re aware of them it can help you avoid a nasty, expensive, and possibly life-changing surprise. Fallacy #1: “If a floor has a matte finish — that is, it’s not “shiny” —, it won’t be slippery when wet.” Truth is, many floors that have a matte…
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At the 6th Annual International Concrete Polishing & Staining Conference in Atlanta in September 2013, a panel discussion was organized and chaired by Ken Fisher of Nu-Safe. On the panel were the manufacturer of the BOT-3000E tribometer (floor slip resistance test meter); an Orlando attorney for large international property owners; and slip and fall prevention…
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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,…
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Misguided investments of hundreds of millions of dollars in slippery flooring … pain, suffering, and financial losses to accident victims and their families … lawsuits by the thousands … and lack of consumer confidence in ceramic tile and other hard flooring: these are some of the consequences of a poorly-conceived floor “slip-resistance” test — ASTM…
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Most hotels and motels with slippery bathtub and shower floors have been using suction cup mats to give bathers safer footing, albeit only on a small part of the slippery surface. These mats need to be laundered daily or they will harbor bacteria, foot fungus and mold. Because of the laundering the mats deteriorate quickly…
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Slip accident prevention in the USA and Canada finally emerged from the Stone Age when dynamic coefficient of friction testing with a specific test method and safety standard became a verified part of the current International Building Code (IBC) in February 2013. The IBC is used mainly in the USA, but a few others use it…
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Many of the most attractive floors are smooth and glossy, and over 99 percent of those are slippery when wet although they often have excellent slip resistance when dry. When they’re near an outside door special care is needed to keep them dry to prevent slip accidents. Here’s how. 1. Have an overhang outside so…