Slip Resistant HACCP Flooring
The Building Code of Australia in 1996 (BCA96) addressed this issue with the inclusion of the following functional statement under the Safety from Falling section; “A building is to provide safe access for people to the services and facilities within”. In New South Wales, the acceptable construction practice provisions include the added variation “The floor surface of a ramp must have a non-slip finish” and “Treads must have a non-slip resistance testing to determine whether “safe access” has been provided to the public.
Why Do You Need Slip Resistance Testing Building Code of Australia Requirements?
Many design architects now look for specialized materials that reduce the risk of slips, trips and falls. Unfortunately, there is still a lot of construction that takes place with little thought put into pedestrian safety issues
So what is Slip Resistance?
Slip resistance is the frictional force opposing movement of an object across a surface, usually with reference to the sole or heel of a shoe on the floor. Click Here to view the full details of Standards Australia Slip Resistance Table for commercial and industrial areas.
What is Coefficient of friction (COF)?
Coefficient of friction is the ration of the tangential force required to move a body across a horizontal surface to the vertical load imposed on the surface by the body.
What is Dynamic Coefficient of friction (COF)?
Dynamic coefficient of friction is based on the force required to maintain movement at a constant speed.
Factors Associated With Slip Resistance
A surface is considered to be slip resistive if there is enough friction to enable a person to walk across that surface without an unreasonal risk of slipping. Slip resistance is affected primarly by;
- Floor material and finish,
- Pedestrian shoe sole profile and material,
- Surface contaminants; including any substance, liquid or solid that is foreign to the floor surface
- Pedestrian gait dynamics.
Obviously how a person walks is beyond the control of the facility owner and operator, and sometimes shoe characteristics are relatively uncontrollable, but the floor selection, construction and maintenance are almost always controllable and therefore provide the greatest opportunities for responsible parties to affect slip resistance.
HACCP flooring is a key factor for all food processing and production environments.
