Surface Safety, Inc. offers Certified Slip Resistance Testing Services utilizing the English XL Tribometer. If there is a question as to the slipperiness of any surface we can measure and quantify the level of slip resistance on that surface. We then provide a certified report to settle any dispute and insure the surface meets or exceeds OSHA and ADA standards.

Most surfaces have a high level of slip resistance when dry but when wet they can be slippery and dangerous areas. The English XL was engineered specifically for wet testing. It mimics certain biomechanical parameters of the human gait, unlike traditional slipmeters that tend to give misleading results in the presence of real-world environmental contaminants, due to disabling sticktion, a phenomenon arising from dragsled meters and others having residence time before the dynamics are applied.

Clean dry floors are not slippery under rubber shoe bottoms. And, since the vast majority of shoes sold have some kind of rubber heels, there is no point in measuring traction on clean dry floors! Somebody says "What about the incredibly hard plastic topping lifts (the walking surface of a heel) that measure well below the threshold of safety on smooth hard floors?"

There are two answers to that. (a) If a floor is reasonably safe for routine walking by the mainstream of shoes, any that are sold with heels that are excessively slippery are unsafe for their intended use. That is a liability problem for the shoe seller and not the proprietor of the floor. And (b) women in very high heels modify their gait so as to require less available traction for normal walking. They are in effect walking on their toes, and they take shorter strides.

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Since there are few enterprises out there maintaining floors in the hyper-clean, dry conditions specified for the test, the test is not valid for evaluation of the safety of floors under real-world walking conditions. Any slipmeter that can't evaluate surface traction properties under actual conditions is irrelevant to pedestrian safety.

Almost anything on the walking surface will affect its traction performance. Water is the commonest contaminant occurring on floors to cause slip/falls. Water is the hardest lubricant to meter (as explained in the discussions of "sticktion.")

Related Slip Resistance Testing Links

For further information of sticktion and related terms, click here http://www.englishxl.com/techbab.html

For a brief discussion of the accredited pedestrian traction testing standards that are on the books click here http://www.englishxl.com/stds.htm

A few facts relative to ADA compliance requirements regarding Floors in Public Buildings are

• #1910.231 states "Steps with non-slip surfaces shall be provided"
• #1910.236 states "All walkways shall be maintained in a non-slip condition"
• #1910.261 states "All walkways shall have non-slip surfaces"
• Failure to comply with the above criteria may result in serious penalties and fines including:
• Enormous legal costs and damage settlements awarded to individuals through civil lawsuits
• Penalties of up to $50,000 for the first violation with as much as $100,000 each for subsequent violations
• Increased worker's compensation and general liability insurance rates after accidents have occurred
• Additionally there are some important benefits to certified compliance of this service:
• Up to $ 5,000 tax credit under the IRS service code, section 44 for disabled access
• Up to $15,000 tax deduction under IRS service code, Section 190

Reduction in worker's compensation and general liability premiums for non-slip compliance

To Discuss your surface issues or find out more about our testing services call us at (781) 393-6900 or email us at steve@Surfacesafety.biz