Preventing Slips, Trips and Falls

Every employer is concerned about preventing slips and falls and the general safety of their employees and any customers or clients who visit their workplace. What many people do not know is the 2012 International Building Code (IBC) made a significant change in what is required for certain flooring conditions and materials when it comes to slip and fall resistance. Shockingly, according to safety statistics from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), approximately 15% of all accidental deaths are related to slips and falls, second only behind auto accidents.

为了增加混乱，第2103.6段2012年IBC发表了相当无害的声明，“瓷砖应定义，并符合美国国家标准研究所（ANSI）137.1的要求。”尽管代码的语言专门参考瓷砖，但许多人也是大理石，花岗岩，木材，乙烯基或其他行走表面的参考。

“这些要求为解释和第二次猜测留下了很多空间，以及在可能的条件范围内构成可接受的地板。”

The ANSI 137.1 documents include flooring materials requirements that can generally be summarized as:

1. 通常，可以使用动态摩擦系数（DCOF）来测量地板材料的比较。
2. 使用地板和DCOF的润湿剂来进行防滑性试验的地板材料的评价。
3. The wet DCOF of compliant flooring should be a minimum of 0.42 on level floors.
4. 请记住，使用0.42值（这是水平滑动力除以垂直重力负载的比率，最大值为1.0）并不意味着该值无处不在或在每个条件下都是可接受的。
5. Those who specify the flooring material shall be responsible for determining the appropriate conditions the material is evaluated under. This can include wet conditions, wear of the surface, external contaminants, ramps/slopes and maintenance.

正如您所见，这些要求为解释和第二次猜测留下了大量的解释空间，并对全方位的可能条件构成可接受的地板。

我使用哪种动态摩擦系数？

长期以来一直是误解美国人的法案（ADA）有一个DCOF价值。但是，该假设已被证明是不正确的，并且对ADA中的可访问性准则值（建议的访问）的任何引用已删除了对DCOF值的任何引用。OSHA还具有他们在工作安全条件下建议的价值。一些场地也有代码中的DCOF值。这种宽调节变化的一个例子是威斯康星州的建筑码，其中它们要求游泳池周围的区域是防滑的，然后将其定义为0.50的湿式DCOF。

“Consideration should be given to people tracking water, snow, grease and oils in restaurants across the flooring surface. We even should take the type of people that will be using the facility into consideration as some are much more likely to slip and fall than others.”

So where does all of this indefinite regulation leave building owners, employers, design professionals or any other party selecting a finish on a walking surface? Well, at minimum we have the base wet DCOF of 0.42. From there a comparison of various floor materials can be tested and evaluated using the minimum requirements as to how they fit the standards. If there are remaining concerns about the suitability of the floor, potential conditions can be managed by the presence and size of walk-off mats and topical coatings that greatly improve slip resistance. Consideration should be given to people tracking water, snow, grease and oils in restaurants across the flooring surface. We even should take the type of people that will be using the facility into consideration as some are much more likely to slip and fall than others.

Other things that affect the potential for a person to slip or fall includes footwear; how well people are paying attention and even an individual’s gait. Research has shown that some people are more susceptible to issues with falling due to their gait. Statistics show that三分之一people over the age of 65 will experience a fall. Half of these people are repeat falls.

现有地板材料的防滑性试验

那么一个人如何知道预先存在的地板条件是建筑物中的内容，或者如何进行各种地板材料的比较？在工业中设计了许多不同的测试设备，旨在测量DCOF，其中许多人已被证明是不一致的准确性和可重复性。

“The standard that has been suggested to be the most reliable slip resistance test in the ANSI A137.1 document is the BOT-3000 device… showing it is the least susceptible for influence by the operator and provides reproducible and repeatable results.”

The standard that has been suggested to be the most reliable slip resistance test in the ANSI A137.1 document is the BOT-3000 device. This is a box about the size of a shoebox. It contains motors, batteries and sensors, with a “foot” on the bottom that is placed in a pool of water. When a button is pushed, the device automatically measures the floor’s slip resistance. The procedure has a number of values taken and averaged to determine the values of the floor by scuffing its “foot” along the floor. The BOT-3000 has been selected for this type of measurement through research and testing, showing it is the least susceptible for influence by the operator and provides reproducible and repeatable results.

请务必查看我们的短视频，演示BOT-3000行动，并显示了我们过去DCOF测量的一些较旧的，更可靠的滑动测试方法。

Bot-3000 Demo

DCOF测量是绝对要求的吗？

当设计者希望选择地板时，对于上述所有条件，可能很困难地从供应商收集关于DCOF的信息。有些人认为，由于2012年IBC仅解决了其他地板材料可能不受相同的性能标准的陶瓷瓦片。然而，根据我作为许多滑倒和秋季案件的专家证人的经验以及我对行业的观察，在滑倒和伤害的情况下，受伤的党的律师和专家将尝试将这些测量用作绝对要求。

“由于BOT-3000是一个非常便携的设备，因此在测试的建筑物中具有各种楼层可能是一个好主意，以验证当前条件，以查看是否有用于减轻滑动和落下的电位的方法。”

由于BOT-3000是一个非常便携的装置，因此在测试的建筑物中具有各种楼层区域可能是一个好主意，以验证当前条件，以便有用于减轻滑动和落的电位的装置。拥有合格的专业测试您的地板条件和用于防滑性的材料可以节省大量的头部，并且可能避免在您的建筑物中的未来滑动。有关我们如何帮助您的信息，请达到史蒂夫甲板。