New Standard Released for Testing Hard Surface Flooring
The National Floor Safety Institute announced the publication of ANSI/NFSI B101.1. For the first time, property owners can be held accountable for the slip resistance of their floors, said NFSI founder Russ Kendzior.
The National Floor Safety Institute announced the publication of a new national safety standard for testing hard surface flooring, ANSI/NFSI B101.1. The standard gives property owners, facility managers, and risk professionals a tool to measure the risk of a slip and fall, enabling them to prevent them.
"We have been anticipating the publication of this standard for some time now," said Dr. Howard Harris, dresident of Traction Auditing, LLC of Southlake, Texas. He said the company has fully incorporated the ANSI/NFSI B101.1 Test Method for Measuring Wet SCOF of Common Hard-Surface Floor Materials standard throughout its Safe Surface System floor testing protocols.
In 2007, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimated 2.2 million Americans sought emergency room treatment for an accidental fall. CDC has declared elderly falls a national epidemic costing the U.S. economy more than $40 billion annually.
Using the standard, walkway slip resistance can be measured and categorized in one of three "traction" ranges: high, moderate, or low. Floors categorized as high traction present a low risk of a slip and fall, while moderate and low traction floors present a higher risk.
"Business owners are encouraged to have their floors tested to determine into which traction range their floors fall," said Russ Kendzior, NFSI's founder, whose new book "Falls Aren't Funny" is available from Government Institutes. He said NFSI recommends that ANSI B101.1 compliance testing be performed by an NFSI Certified Walkway Auditor.