Preventing Slips & Trips - A testing situation
June 1st 2004 Architect Christopher Sykes looks at a major specification concern and particularly how safety matting manufacturer Plastic Extruders tackles the problem
Slips, trips and falls account for 20% of all accidents in the workplace. They are reckoned to cost UK society over 1 billion per year. There is one serious slip incident every 3 minutes (35 000 or so a year). The statistics are endless; the implications alarming. This is an area of concern which the HSE takes very seriously. So too should employers who, ultimately, bear the responsibility and have to cope with the increasing tendency towards accident litigation.
Getting it right
Footwear, flooring design and maintenance all combine to affect slip performance. It is further complicated by changes of surface, changes of level and the particular environment. This means that the specifier and the manufacturer both have a duty to ensure that the product is fit for purpose.
Users need to ensure that cleaning methods and equipment are right for the type of surface being treated and that employee footwear is suitable. The responsible manufacturer will constantly monitor HSE and third party recommendations and do their level best to ensure than products conform to the highest standards. Sales staff should be trained to relay all this information and advice to help the customer.
Testing
Many testing houses, like SATRA, provide a range of specialist technical services devoted to flooring. However, this is not an exact science. Testing methods vary and there is really no substitute for assessing floorings and comparing them under site conditions. This is why test strips of different floorcoverings are often laid in busy areas; airports and shopping centres are particular favourites. Obviously, one of the best ways of making a confident choice is to ask the manufacturer for evidence of a similar application. Plastic Extruders, for example, publish case studies and quotes from other users. It is essential for them not only to manufacture product to the highest quality but to ensure that customers in many different countries buy with complete confidence. The physical performance of their mattings is all about safety, slip-resistance, anti-fatigue and wearability.
A good example is the procedure that Plastex adopted for Vynagrip, one of its most long established safety mattings. Widely used for industrial, manufacturing and heavy duty working environments, a new deeply etched top surface was recently designed to improve slip-resistant performance.
Obviously, it was necessary to prove the claim on offer, so Vynagrip was independently tested in laboratory facilities using the German DIN criteria. The test for slip-resistance (DIN 51 130) and for drainage (BGR 181) is ingenious. A sample of the matting is laid on a tilting table which can be raised on lowered and the angle of inclination measured. The matting is covered with an oily substance which also measures its draining potential. An assistant, wearing calibrated footwear, stands on the surface while the table is lifted to the angle at which sliding begins to occur. The result was particularly exciting news for Plastex because the new surface was rated R12 (angle of incline 29.5 degrees) against a previous rating of R10 (angle of incline 17.2 degrees) - an increased slip-resistance of over 70%.
Independent guidance
The UK Slip Resistance Group was established 20 years ago by the Rubber & Plastics Research Association. It has since become an independent organisation (Tel: 01923 858323) with various objectives:- to promote a wider understanding of pedestrian slipping; to promote the means for measuring slip-resistance; to monitor and encourage research; to comment and promote safety through
the media.
UKSRG 2000 The measurement of floor surface slip resistance are guidelines recommended by the Group. Another useful document The Slip Resistance of Hard Flooring is available from The Tile Association (Tel: 020 8663 0946). Many publications and technical advice sheets relating to slips and trips are issued by the Health & Safety Executive.
Because of the lack of formal UK and European standards, many architects, designers and specifies have to rely on National Standards from other countries such as American ASTM C1028 sted test or the German DIN 51 130 ramp test. However, the HSE is currently working on a method of measuring slip-resistance which combines the best of present methods and should become the definitive and acceptable yardstick. Slips and trips, hopefully, will soon be much rarer - something only skiers will need to worry about!
BULLETIN
The matting division of Plastex manufactures a wide, versatile and complete range of vinyl matting and flooring products.
The range is focused on:
Improving standing comfort through design
Improving safety underfoot by reducing slips, trips and falls accidents
Protecting and reducing damage to items stored or dropped
Enhancing surrounding areas through functional and attractive design
Plastic Extruders can be contacted on
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