Slip Resistant Materials

Slips, trips, and falls in the United States result in over 100 billion dollars in total expenses every year, including litigation, workers compensation, and hospital and medical expenses. If you have an indoor or outdoor walkway in an industrial or office setting, preventing slips and falls is vitally important for the health of your employees and your business. A little attention paid to your walkway can help prevent untold pain, suffering, and expense.

A proper approach to prevention of slip and fall accidents should take many angles. Awareness of hazards is critically important, and can be achieved in various ways, including signage for wet or slippery areas and proper footwear choices. Proper and prompt housekeeping activities, such as cleaning spills immediately and regular floor cleaning, will also go a long way toward reducing slipping hazards.

Providing Slip Resistant Materials in Key Areas

Forward-thinking managers will also do what they can to create a safe work environment. Providing slip resistant materials in key areas should be an element of any good safety program. These can include grip cloth placed underneath carpets or rugs, and non-slip floor mats. In areas where water is a constant, such as pools or shower rooms, rubber mats that create traction while allowing drainage are an important solution.

Other slip resistant materials can include flooring that is designed to enhance traction and reduce slipping. Managers should consider the coefficient of friction of flooring materials when choosing or evaluating floors. Coefficient of friction is an index which describes the level of friction of a particular floor, and any surface with a CF of lower than 0.5 is generally considered unsafe.