Slip and fall “expert” witnesses in the United States typically use either the English XL Variable Incidence Tribometer (VIT) or the Brungraber Mark IIIB, which is incredibly frightening considering that neither of these two instruments have a published, peer-reviewed test method in any country on earth, and both (the English XL and Brungraber Mark II, … Continue reading “How to Get The Slip and Fall “Expert” Witness Testimony from an English XL VIT and Brungraber Mark IIIB User Thrown Out of Court”
Category: Slip Resistance Testing
ASTM E303-22 Revolutionizes Floor Slip Resistance Testing in the USA
Floor slip resistance tests in the USA have historically been written by the members of the ASTM F13 committee. Comprised mostly of expert “liars for hire” that exclusively work for slip and fall attorneys, and representatives of the flooring industry, these tests have been based on either no science, or very little shady science. The … Continue reading “ASTM E303-22 Revolutionizes Floor Slip Resistance Testing in the USA”
ADA Slip Resistance Requirements
The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) requires that floors accessible to disabled persons be “slip-resistant”, but did not define what that means. Recently, theADA decided to spread badly-informed misinformation that mentions safety criterion from test methods that were withdrawn 10 years ago (ASTM C1028) and twenty years ago (ASTM F1677 and ASTM F1679). So apparently … Continue reading “ADA Slip Resistance Requirements”
Safety Direct America Calibrates Pendulum Skid Testers from Far and Wide
Like any scientific or engineering instrument, the pendulum skid tester (also sometimes called the British pendulum or pendulum slip tester) should be calibrated at least once annually. Safety Direct America, a subsidiary of Sotter Engineering Corporation, is the leading calibrator of pendulum skid testers in the Americas. We calibrate the pendulum using the latest British … Continue reading “Safety Direct America Calibrates Pendulum Skid Testers from Far and Wide”
British Government Lab Rates Footwear Slip Resistance
For work environments where there’s a risk of slipping, it’s prudent to consider mandating slip-resistant footwear for employees, and possibly providing them with help in obtaining them. Some cruise ship companies have stores on board their ships where crew members can get slip-resistant footwear. Other companies provide financial assistance. Footwear in a slippery floor environment … Continue reading “British Government Lab Rates Footwear Slip Resistance”
Slip Resistance Standard NSF 50 for Swimming Pools, Spas, Hot Tubs, Splash Pads, etc.
The National Sanitation Foundation (NSF), together with American National Standards Institute (ANSI) and National Standard of Canada (CAN) established a slip resistance standard for recreational water facilities. Formalized in NSF/ANSI/CAN 50 – 2020, the standard requires a wet Slip Resistance Value, SRV, of 40 or greater, measured using the pendulum slip resistance test method. Though … Continue reading “Slip Resistance Standard NSF 50 for Swimming Pools, Spas, Hot Tubs, Splash Pads, etc.”
SDA Can Offer Foreign Insurance if Needed
As pointed out elsewhere in these pages, Safety Direct America has general liability and professional liability (Errors and Omissions) to cover our floor slip resistance testing work for clients located in the USA. However, we often do laboratory or field floor slip test work for foreign clients, sometimes on their own premises, e.g. in Canada … Continue reading “SDA Can Offer Foreign Insurance if Needed”
Suggested Specifications for Lifetime Slip Resistance of Flooring
When we’re buying new automobile tires we’d like to know not only that the tires are good at the time of purchase, but that they will have a reasonably long lifetime for us. Michelin, for instance, offers models with mileage warranties (within a time limit) from 36,000 to 80,000 miles. When buying slip-resistant flooring, customers … Continue reading “Suggested Specifications for Lifetime Slip Resistance of Flooring”
How to Get Reliable and Useful Floor Slip Resistance Test Results
Slip and fall injuries can carry total liabilities that are often in the hundreds of thousands of dollars or even more. Investment in flooring is long-term and often involves appreciable capital, whether you are an individual homeowner or have a string of large office buildings and shopping centers. Though the charges for floor slip resistance … Continue reading “How to Get Reliable and Useful Floor Slip Resistance Test Results”
Safety Direct America is Still Running at (almost) Full Speed
At this writing the death toll of Americans from COVID-19 is over 34,000. With the world upside down, the last thing you need is to have a slip-and-fall accident. Falls cause 28,000 premature deaths in the USA every year. Most of these deaths (some of which occur prematurely but months after the fall) are due … Continue reading “Safety Direct America is Still Running at (almost) Full Speed”