Flooring and Matting
According to the National Safety Council, slips and falls are the leading cause of death in the workplace and the source of more than 20 percent of all disabling injuries. They result in more than 1,500 fatalities and more than $64,000 disabling injuries annually.

Slips and falls cost American businesses a fortune in lost productivity, workers' compensation insurance, and other expenses. Health care costs alone amount to more than $37 billion each year. The psychological damage in pain, anguish, and the loss of worker morale are beyond measure. With this notorious record, slips and falls have to be considered the number one enemy of work place safety.

Because slips and falls are so common, they are often thought to be inevitable - a cost of doing business. Sometimes they are dismissed as unpredictable accidents visited upon clumsy people. Little thought is given to prevention. These attitudes need to be changed. The fact is that slips and falls are among the easiest accidents to isolate and prevent. After all, each of us takes thousands of steps every day without mishap. Slips and falls are not normal. They result from an abnormality in the environment that suddenly makes a routine act dangerous.

A slip occurs when there is a sudden loss of traction between the shoe - or foot - and the walking surface. A skid results when there is a sudden loss of friction between the contact surface of a machine - usually the wheels - and the floor. Normally, clean and dry surfaces provide enough traction for us to move without slipping or skidding. But add a contaminant like a banana peel, and even Fred Astaire isn't safe.

When these contaminants combine with a naturally smooth, non-porous surface such as steel, concrete - especially coated concrete - diamond plate, or tile, slips and falls are inevitable.

Anti-slip flooring systems
Floors are to be made less slipper, it is important to match the floor surfaces to the work environment. Three issues need to be considered.

First, that is the nature of the traffic in the area? Areas designed for heavy vehicle traffic require a more aggressive and durable surface than areas designed for foot traffic.

Second, what contaminants are likely to affect the surface? It is usually a good idea to plan for the worst case scenario so that the surface provides more protection than ordinarily necessary. Common contaminants include chemicals, acids, oils, grease, gasoline, food by-products, soaps and cleaning compounds, powders, and plain old water. Do these contaminants pool or pile up in certain area? Are contamination problems occasional or chronic?

Third, what is the nature of the surface itself? It is a ramp, dock, catwalk. Floor, step, or dimly lit hallway?

Temporary safeguards include peel-and-stick tread tapes, sand added to paint, and chemical etches. All produce a basic anti-slip surface when new and in good condition.

However, these treatments tend to wear quickly and lose their effectiveness, as well as mar and detract from the aesthetics of the floor you are trying to protect. They are useful in areas that receive minor wear, where cleanability isn't an issue, and where contamination is slight. They are an inexpensive way to solve small problems in isolated areas, abut the need for constant re-application makes them expensive over the long haul.

For larger areas, the best answer is to alter the floor surface itself. Two elements are necessary to provide traction in the presence of contaminants: friction and adequate surface profile. The first quality is obvious; a high-friction surface provides the mechanical bite necessary to secure the sole of the shoe - or moving object - upon contact. The second element involves a surface texture that will displace the contaminant so that the object can come into contact with the friction surface. The key is to match the solution to the problem.

A very useful and cost-effective solution for many applications is epoxy anti-slip coatings. First developed for use by the Navy on aircraft carrier decks, these high-performance coatings were designed to work under the most difficult conditions imaginable. However, removal of anti-slip epoxy coatings could cause damage to an existing surface, which is characteristic of the abrasive underfootings. But they serve as the best solution when tackling problems on concrete, wood, or steel.

For areas where aesthetics are of concern, the problem of slips and falls still lurks; however, there is now new technology to combat the number one killer without minimizing aesthetics and good looks.

These surfaces can include quarry tile, ceramic tile, vinyl floors, marble floors, floors with high-gloss coating, and several other attractive synthetic and natural flooring materials for areas such as hallways, kitchens, entranceways, aisles, bathrooms, locker rooms, breezeways, steps, and exit ramps. Solutions still include slippery when wet signs, mats, tapes, and etching that are temporary at best. Chemical etching can damage and weaken tile surfaces.

The new technology is a scientifically formulated clear surface that is rolled over existing floors, in a manner similar to painting a wall - it's that simple! The milky solution dries clear with an aggregate finish. The specially blended polymer aggregate will not scratch underlying surfaces, yet gives the rough texture needed to stop slips and falls when contamination is present. This coating can be removed when necessary, using a common wax stripper.

Slips and falls are not "accidents," they are the opposite: the predictable consequences of foot traffic on smooth, contaminated surfaces. With a new emphasis on the workplace, factory offices, and home safety, a safe floor is one that protects workers, customers, and pedestrians from dangerous slips and falls.

Occupational Health & Safety, April 1998

Steven Feldman is the Director of Sales for Morgan Safety Products, located in Roseland, N.J.