by Rebecca Walker — December 17, 2010—The National Floor Safety Institute has published a new national safety standard for testing hard surface flooring, the ANSI/NFSI B101.1, an advance in floor safety that has been highly anticipated by the risk management and loss prevention industries.
In 2007, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) estimated that 2.2 million Americans sought emergency room treatment for an accidental fall, making falls the leading cause of emergency room visits in America.
This national testing standard provides property owners, facility managers and risk professionals with an important tool by which they can measure the risk of a slip and fall and therefore prevent such accidents from occurring.
Under the new ANSI B101.1 standard, walkway slip resistance can be measured and categorized into one of three “Traction” ranges: High, Moderate, 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. By using the Traction Auditing Safe Surface System, companies can reduce the risk of slip and fall claims and litigation while demonstrating compliance with this new industry standard.
The Safe Surface System combines NFSI certified walkway auditors with the most advanced walkway auditing protocols available and NFSI Certified High Traction floor cleaning products.
Traction Auditing’s Safe Surface System, based around the ANSI B101.1 standard, helps companies large and small protect themselves from unwarranted litigation and claims from slips and falls.
For more information, see the Web site.
