Slips and trips, whether at the workplace or in public areas, are a common cause of injury worldwide. For example, in the UK alone, in 2006 it was reported that there were 81,500 hospital admissions due to slip related accidents (compared with 17,313 car accident admissions) resulting in 614,000 hospital bed days. Such incidents can often lead to significant compensation claims against the company or authority responsible for the management of pedestrian areas.
Floor safety management is obligatory in health and safety regulations and an integral part of sound overall business practice.
SATRA Technology Centre is the world's leading research and testing organisation for ensuring the fitness-for-purpose of a wide range or products and materials, including floorings for use in private and public buildings.
It is important to understand the performance of a floor surface in terms of slip resistance. The SATRA onsite assessment team employs three main methods which are selected dependent on the floor type: 1) pendulum, used to assess hard, smooth surfaces under wet and dry conditions; 2) portable slip testing, a SATRA exclusive industry-recognised test method for the measurement of footwear and floorings under laboratory conditions; 3) where appropriate, measuring the micro-roughness of the floor surface.
The key to slip accident prevention is a systematic and careful examination of factors that could cause harm to people and an evaluation of whether the controls in place are sufficient to prevent harm (see risk assesment). By applying a total floor safety management approach, the SATRA onsite assessment team can offer expert consultation and advice on safety maintenance and continual improvement.
Testing the floor surface is not the whole story
The measurement taken in a slip test is only a method of measuring how the floor will behave with a standardised shoe sole under the conditions of test. To better understand the requirements of the floor in practice, a full site analysis should be conducted. At SATRA we employ the Slip Potential Model to first identify the amount of friction the floor should offer for its intended application. To do this we identify the key factors that may influence the interaction between the user, the user's footwear and the floor.
The slip potential approach recognises that a number of factors contribute to the potential for pedestrian slip accidents: it is not sufficient to consider one or two factors in isolation. By understanding the inter-relationship, and the relevance, of each component in a particular circumstance an holistic assessment of the slip potential may be made. The model looks at those factors which are controllable and those which are predictable.
For further information on SATRA's total floor management package and unrivalled slip testing service please contact Jackie Glasspool on jacqueg@satra.co.uk or telephone +44 (0) 1536 410 000.