Slips, Falls, And Slip Resistance

Avoid the first two by using the last one

By Michael Wilson 
Photos: Kankuk Kamps

Camp facilities have a multitude of laws, regulations, and codes to which they must adhere. For many of these facilities, it seems like more laws and rules are added each year.

© Can Stock Photo / leisuretime70

However, administrators may not be aware of—and may not be following—three federal laws or building codes that have been in place for several years. All three deal with floor safety, and each promotes the installation and maintenance of floors that are slip-resistant.

• Section 302.1 of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). The ADA is quite comprehensive, encompassing 10 chapters and hundreds of provisions. Section 302 deals specifically with floor and ground surfaces, stating “floor and ground surfaces shall be stable, firm, and slip-resistant.”

• International Building Code. Chapter 10 of this code, updated in November 2021, deals with floors and walkways. It states that walking surfaces “shall have a slip-resistant surface.”

• The National Fire Protection Association 101 Fire Safety Code. Another comprehensive code, this regulation was introduced about 20 years ago. It focuses on stairs, floors, and ramp surfaces, and states they, too, must be slip-resistant.

Noteworthy, as comprehensive and encompassing as these laws and codes are, none specifically identifies what “slip-resistant” is or how it is measured. An assumption was made that one would know a slip-resistant floor when one saw one. But any insurance company will note that people do not know a slip-resistant floor when they see one, and for that matter, don't always know a slippery floor when they see one. That's why there are more than a million slip-and-fall accidents each year in the United States, with about half of those people ending up in the hospital.

So, let’s end the confusion and clarify what slip resistance is and discuss how to measure it to ensure floors are truly slip-resistant.

Defining Slip Resistance 

A good working definition, used by some manufacturers in the flooring industry, states that a slip-resistant floor is:

A type of floor made with materials and properties that help reduce the floor's slipperiness. These properties provide a “roughness” or added traction, helping to prevent slip-and-fall accidents.

But floors must be cleaned, and the cleaning products and finishes (waxes) used to maintain floors can also help ensure a floor is slip-resistant. However, the professional cleaning industry has no parallel definition of slip resistance. Because of this, let’s take the above definition and make a couple of changes. In floor cleaning, slip resistance can be defined as: 

The use of cleaning solutions, finishes, products, and equipment that add traction and reduce the slipperiness of a floor. 

© Can Stock Photo / photomatic

Testing And Measuring Slip Resistance

In the 1920s, when office buildings and commercial facilities were being built all over the country, the owners selected new floor coverings based on two criteria: durability and attractiveness. Safety and slip resistance were concerns, of course, but not high on the list … until the number of slip-and-fall accidents in those buildings increased considerably. 

At that time, there was no scientific way to evaluate the slipperiness of floors. What many cleaning professionals did was drag a heavy bag of potatoes over a floor and measure how difficult or easy it was to move the bag. The process was totally subjective, and because of this the results were not always accurate.

Today, when measuring slip resistance, a small, fully automated device known as a tribometer is used. This machine is easy to use, available from many manufacturers, and usually not costly, encouraging more administrators to have one handy. 

When assessing a floor with a tribometer, the floor should be evaluated two or more times to ensure an accurate reading. These systems will then provide one of three values indicating the amount of friction: 

• High. The floor is highly slip-resistant and safe to walk on.

• Moderate. Traction-enhancing floor finishes should be considered, especially on a heavily trafficked floor.

• Low. The floor needs to be replaced or refinished. The old finish and any soils are removed using a floor machine. A high-traction, slip-resistant floor finish is then applied. (See Sidebar: ASTM Floor Safety Standards)

As noted above, testing with a tribometer is not a one-time operation. This is especially true if the floor has recently been refinished. If there is a heavily trafficked area, the finish and the floor's natural properties that provide friction may be reduced over time. Frequent testing will indicate if this is happening.

Due Diligence 

In ensuring that floors are safe and slip-resistant, due diligence should begin when the floor is installed. Administrators should ask manufacturers or their representatives about the level of slip resistance of a new floor. 

When you consider that someone using your facility might be injured due to a floor not being sufficiently slip-resistant or properly cleaned and maintained, remember that that person may not only end up in a hospital, but the potential litigation that might follow such an accident may be considerable. Avoid this by working with knowledgeable experts in the industry.

Michael Wilson is senior vice president of Marketing and Packaging for AFFLINK, a distributor-based global leader in marketing packaging, cleaning products, and technologies that improve building efficiencies. He can be reached through his company website at www.AFFLINK.com