Floor Slip Resistance Requirements

Specifying flooring that will not be slippery even when it can get wet or otherwise lubricated in use is critical for safety purposes.

Floor slip resistance requirements.

It is the most widely used and trusted pedestrian slip resistance test method worldwide. Floor slip resistance is an important safety measure that all architects must be aware of when specifying flooring materials. This is the ceramic tile requirements standard. Achieving a 0 60 scof using c1028 never meant that you had a safe floor when wet and achieving a 0 42 using this newer test method is just as unreliable as an indication of safety.

This standard requires two slip tests. Bs en 13845 resilient floor coverings polyvinyl chloride floor coverings with particle based enhanced slip resistance specification. With other types of flooring you may not be able to research slip ratings. This guide explains requirements in the ada standards for floor and ground surfaces.

The 2012 international building code ibc lays out slip resistance but there are weaknesses with the requirements. A cof of 0 5 is not intended to be an absolute. That means that like the now withdrawn astm c1028 test results the ansi a137 1 test results should never be trusted as a reliable indicator of slip resistance. Specifications for floor and ground surfaces address surface characteristics carpeting openings and changes in level.

The astm e303 slip resistance test standard defines the british pendulum tester that is now a national standard for pedestrian floor slip resistance in at least 50 nations on five continents and has been endorsed by ceramic tile institute of america since 2001. Firmness stability and slip resistance 302 1 carpet 302 2 openings 302 3 changes in level 303 common questions. Dallas based lawyer russell j. When buying tile you are in luck.

In a nonmandatory appendix to a proposed rule in 1990 osha said a reasonable measure of slip resistance is static coefficient of friction scof is recommended as a guide to achieve proper slip resistance. There has never been an official osha slip test or safety standard for flooring. Slip resistance is a declared value based on the methods described in pren 16165. In general architects are concerned about slip resistance where floors can become wet from water such as on ceramic tile in bathrooms or from grease and oils such as in commercial kitchens or garages.

Kendzior is a leading expert in slip and fall injuries. Cof slip resistance ratings for other types of flooring.