Slipping accident prevention

  • Cobblestones in San Juan PR: America’s Largest Slip Hazard?

    As if San Juan and the rest of Puerto Rico didn’t have enough economic and hurricane-damage problems, some of the streets of San Juan are paved with blue 18th-century cobblestones that are very slippery when wet. In November 2017, a cruise passenger from the mainland USA fell and broke his arm (despite being warned about…

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  • Why We Offer a “Recommended Tile Slip Test Package”

    Why We Offer a “Recommended Tile Slip Test Package”

    When our clients ask for an ANSI/NFSI A137.1 test we often recommend that they order a pendulum test as well. The pair of floor slip resistance tests is popular, and we offer a discounted price of $477.00 (for lab testing) when they are ordered together. The reason has to do with the A137.1 standard —…

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  • Dal-Tile Recommends Situation-Specific Minimum DCOF AcuTest Values

    We have pointed out before that the ANSI A137.1 “DCOF AcuTest” and ANSI A326.3 minimum recommended wet dynamic coefficient of friction (DCOF rating) for level wet indoor areas of 0.42 is “one size fits all” and does not consider the use of the flooring — upstairs elevator lobby, commercial kitchen, pool deck, etc. The traction…

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  • America Gets Another Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Slip Resistance Guideline

    Wet, bare feet are soft and essentially treadless, and on a slippery hard floor can be treacherous — leading to falls that sometimes cause permanent brain damage or worse. It’s crucial to provide slip-resistant surfaces at swimming pools where people (some of them sober) will be walking, playing or running (even against the rules) with…

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  • What are Some Less Common Causes of Slip and Fall Accidents?

    What are Some Less Common Causes of Slip and Fall Accidents?

    Slips and falls account for as much as 15% of all accidental deaths every year; only motor vehicle accidents cause a larger percentage. Even when they aren’t fatal, they have a big economic impact—causing 25% of all reported injury claims per fiscal year and being responsible for 95 million days of lost work per year.…

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  • 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…

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  • ANSI Issuing Another Standard Slip Test Method for Flooring Materials – and It Also Shouldn’t be Used as a Safety Assessment

    The American National Standards Institute (ANSI) is issuing a new test method, with minimum dynamic coefficient of friction (DCOF rating), for slip resistance of hard flooring materials, and it should never be used to assess the slip resistance safety of a floor. No minimum DCOF is provided for exterior applications. The BOT-3000E digital tribometer is…

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  • Slip Resistance of Basketball and Volleyball Floors

    Floors for indoor sports (basketball, volleyball, gym, etc.) need careful attention to their dry slip resistance. Players must have enough traction to start and stop quickly, yet not so much that they can’t pivot rapidly. Fortunately, there are well-defined and long-accepted standards for the slip resistance of these floors, using the pendulum skid testing instrument…

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  • 2017 Flooring Trends

    Flooring Trends to Try Flooring styles come and go, but a few have remained classics throughout the years. Although red shag carpet is definitely not in, hardwood flooring has always been a sought-after look. Here are some of the top 2017 flooring trends to keep your eye out for and incorporate into your home: Luxury…

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  • Fixing Your Slippery Epoxy/Polyurea/Polyaspartic Floor

    In the video below, we discuss fixing slippery epoxy floors, slippery polyaspartic floors, and slippery polyurea floors quickly and easily with SparkleTuff Anti-Slip Floor Treatment, which requires to special preparation to the epoxy floor whatsoever. We are continually amazed at how often contractors will install an epoxy (or polyurea or polyaspartic) floor coating (especially to…

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