With slips and trips accounting for over a third of all reported major injuries and 95% of major slips resulting in broken bones, slippery floors can pose a serious hazard to your staff and visitors alike. The need for a formal risk assessment of slippery floors is oft overlooked; however the risk of slips occurring can be significantly reduced with simple and inexpensive controls.
Identify slippery floor surfaces
The first step in reducing slip risk is to identify areas which pose a risk to users.Marking the location of any recorded slips in the last year on a sketched map of the area is a good start. Talk to the regular users of the area to ascertain whether any near misses have occurred or if the floor feels slippery in certain circumstances.Mapping slips in this way should quickly highlight any surfaces that require attending to.
Prevent contamination of the surface
The vast majority of slips occur on contaminated surfaces.This is because the contaminant creates a barrier between sole and floor, significantly reducing friction.A floor that remains clean is not likely to be slippery.It should be noted that contamination is not necessarily wet; dust, swarf or polythene will all reduce the available friction.A simple change to the work process may help eliminate contamination; otherwise consider other steps such as fixing leaks on offending machinery, or fitting a canopy over external doorways.
Reduce the impact of contamination
It isn’t always possible to prevent contamination of the flooring.If contamination is inevitable then it is a requirement that reasonably practicable steps are taken to minimise its impact on users of the specific surface.Again, regular users of the area should be consulted in order ascertain the real function of the space versus its intended functionality.If making a change to the work process can reduce the likelihood of contamination it is a worthwhile step. Staff should be encouraged to adopt a ‘see it, sort it’ attitude to contamination.
Cleaning plays a vital role in the management of contamination.The cleaning regime should be effective at removing any dirt so the surface profile does not become clogged and its anti-slip properties reduced.The correct amount of cleaning chemical is vital as a residue left on the surface is very likely to increase slip risk. It should not be ignored that cleaning a floor leaves it contaminated for a period of time. Wet mopping spreads a thin film of water across the surface that relies on convection to dry.Only a small amount of water is needed to form the hydrodynamic squeeze film that reduces grip. For busy areas consider spot cleaning and conduct a full clean after hours, restricting access to all wet surfaces. Effective anti-slip footwear can further protect cleaning staff from slips.
Consider environmental factors
Lighting should be such that any contamination on the floor should be easily visible.Bright lights and well polished floors tend to produce a glare, hiding contamination.Conversely, dimly lit areas will deny users the opportunity to avoid contaminated areas. If users know the surface is slippery they are likely to adjust their gait accordingly and are less likely to fall.
Weather born contamination poses a risk as a surface which provides a good grip in the dry can often become unexpectedly slippery in the rain. External doorways should be protected with a canopy and effective entrance matting stretching to several steps into the building will help reduce water ingress. During heavy rain the matting may become saturated, in which case temporary matting may be a good option provided it doesn’t become creased, posing a trip hazard.
Less obvious factors such as condensation, overly humid environments, chillers or freezers are also potential sources for contamination.
Assess the suitability of flooring
If contamination of the surface occurs regularly then the surface must provide a safe level of grip in contaminated conditions.Activities such as pushing, pulling or carrying heavy loads increases the frictional demand of the user on the floor surface areas.If users include the young, old or those with reduced agility then it is imperative that the surface is safe to walk on.
In the majority of cases slip resistance can be significantly increased with a thorough deep clean.A Deep cleaning process often removes dirt clogging the surface profile, increasing surface roughness and the ability to puncture the fluid layer separating sole from floor.This should be considered as a first option and if it is found to be effective incorporated into the cleaning regime on a periodic basis.
A wide range of surface treatments of are available, varying in effectiveness.When employing a surface treatment you should consider having the surface tested and certified on completion, ensuring you have documented evidence that the surface provides a safe level of grip at all times. Grip Potential can provide this service.
In some cases the only way to reduce slip risk to required safe levels is to replace the floor surface itself.Care should be taken when choosing the replacement surface to ensure it meets and will continue to meet the frictional demands of users.The HSE do classify a result of 36 or above when tested to BS 7976 “The Pendulum Method” as a low risk of slip.Your supplier should be able to provide slip resistance results, however results from tests such as DIN51130, DIN51097 or proprietary test methods should be treated with great trepidation. Grip Potential can provide independent testing of samples to BS 7976 inexpensively.
Provide slip resistant footwear
If the use of a slippery surface cannot be avoided then effective anti-slip footwear should be implemented.It is extremely important that the footwear provides adequate grip in the conditions that they will be used. Whilst some manufacturers brochure’s may claim anything from ‘increased grip’ to ‘excellent multi-directional slip resistance’ it is important to consider slip resistance as tested to BS EN 13287 (usually using SATRA TM 144). Ultimately it is the slip resistance in use with likely contaminants that will determine effectiveness.A trial should be implemented with a range of footwear for a range of applications across a range of different contaminants to select effective soles.Consider the feedback offered by test users, if certain shoes are unpopular alternatives should be considered, though a compromise on comfort, durability and safety may be required.
Footwear profiles will need to be kept free from debris to ensure continued slip resistance is achieved.Consider work processes and placement of boot cleaning facilities to allow soles remain at their optimum.