New ANSI standard for slip and fall

Southlake, Texas The American National Standards Institute’s (ANSI) B101 Committee on Slip, Trip and Fall Prevention has released the nation's first-ever, floor-safety standard designed to prevent pedestrian slips and falls. The ANSI B101.1 standard provides property owners, insurers, and flooring manufacturers with an important tool by which they can measure the risk of a slip and fall and, in-turn, prevent such accidents from occurring.

"This new standard reflects more than a decade of research by the National Floor Safety Institute [NFSI] and is the first step in reducing unintentional slip-and-fall related injuries," said Russell Kendzior, secretary of the ANSI B101 committee and founder of the NFSI.

Under the new ANSI B101.1 standard, the slip-resistance of a walkway can be measured and categorized into one of three "Traction" ranges: High Traction, Moderate Traction or Low Traction. Floors categorized as High Traction present a low risk of a slip and fall while Moderate Traction and Low Traction floors present an elevated risk.

Business owners are encouraged to have their floors tested to determine into which Traction range their floors fall. The NFSI recommends that ANSI B101.1 compliance testing be performed by an NFSI Certified Walkway Auditor, a listing of which can be found at the NFSI's Web site at nfsi.org.

"The goal of the standard is to reduce the nation's growing number of slip-and-fall related injuries by increasing the traction of walkways,’ Kendzior said.

According to the NFSI, High Traction floors have been clinically proven to reduce slip-and-fall claims by as much as 90%. Once identified, the slip-resistance of Moderate and Low Traction floors can often be elevated into the High Traction range through improved floor maintenance.