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"People who have difficulty walking or maintaining balance or who use
crutches, canes, or walkers, and those with restricted gaits are particularly sensitive to
slipping and tripping hazards. For such people, a stable and
regular surface is necessary ...
"Slip resistance is based on the frictional force necessary to keep a shoe heel or
crutch tip from slipping on a walking surface under conditions likely to be found on the
surface. While the dynamic coefficient of friction during walking varies in a complex and
non-uniform way, the static coefficient of friction, which can be measured in several
ways, provides a close approximation of the slip resistance of a surface...
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration recommends that walking
surfaces have a static coefficient of friction of 0.5. A research project sponsored by the
Architectural and Transportation Barriers Compliance Board (Access Board) conducted tests
with persons with disabilities and concluded that a higher coefficient of friction was
needed by such persons. A static coefficient of friction of 0.6 is recommended for
accessible routes and 0.8 for ramps.
It is recognized that the coefficient of friction varies considerably due to the presence
of contaminants, water, floor finishes, and other factors not under the control of the
designer or builder and not subject to design and construction guidelines and that
compliance would be difficult to measure on the building site. Nevertheless, many
common building materials suitable for flooring are now labeled with information on the
static coefficient of friction. While it may not be possible to compare one product
directly with another, or to guarantee a constant measure, builders and designers are
encouraged to specify materials with appropriate values. As more products include
information on slip resistance, improved uniformity in measurement and specification is
likely. The Access
Board's advisory guidelines on Slip Resistant Surfaces provides additional information on
this subject.
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