Safe Environments Discuss Australian Slip Resistance Standards

The first Australian slip resistance standard to measure the frictional properties of floors and determine if the floor is slip resistant was Australian Standard AS/NZS 3661.1 Slip resistance of pedestrian surfaces.  This Australian Standard for slip resistance was first published in 1993 and requires that the floor surface achieve a minimum coefficient of friction of 0.4 in wet and/or dry conditions using the wet pendulum test and the dry floor friction test. The Australian standard AS/NZS 3661.1 assumes that there is a minimum threshold of safety. A notion that current risk management philosophy rejects. For instance, a coefficient ofFriction (CoF) of 0.39 was considered unsafe and a CoF of 0.40 was considered safe.

A revised suite of Australian slip resistance standards was released in 1999; AS/NZS 4586 Slip resistance classification of new pedestrian surface materials. This Australian slip resistance standard which included the wet pendulum and dry floor friction test methods as in AS/NZS 3661, and two additional inclining ramp test methods derived from the German slip resistance standards. These inclining ramp test methods were included to assess the slip resistance of specialised areas such as wet barefoot areas and industrial workshops and commercial kitchens.

AS/NZS 4586 partially replaced AS/NZS 3661.1 and is used to classify the slip resistance of new floor surfaces; however AS/NZS 4586 does not provide compliance criteria. During the same year, Standards Australia & CSIRO released Handbook HB 197 An Introductory Guide to the Slip Resistance of Pedestrian Surface Materials to provide guidance and recommend minimum slip resistance requirements of new floor surfaces. The handbook uses risk management philosophy assessing the level of slip resistance based on the activities being undertaken on the site, frequency and likelihood of contamination to assess a risk of slipping that is reasonably safe. The handbook also provides general commentary on the slip resistance test methods, classification, basis for specification and guidance for designing ramps and sloped areas.

AS/NZS 4663 Slip resistance of existing pedestrian surfaces was introduced in 2002 and uses the 2 portable test methods as in Australian Standards AS/NZS 3661.1 & AS/NZS 4586. The results of testing provides a notional contribution of the floor surface to the risk of slipping when water wet as given below. The standard notes that the total risk should be assessed in conjunction with other potentially contributing slip factors such as footwear, speed and gait of walking. The standard provides a general overview however the notional contribution does not apply rigorous scientific analysis and should not be used in isolation to assess the risk of slipping and professional assistance should be sought for interpretation of slip resistance test results.