Cinderella of Safety...

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Sharlene Ellis
5 years ago
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1 Cinderella of Safety... Like Cinderella, slip prevention is overlooked... Cinderella needs your help...

2 Introductions... I m Andrew Job Title: Director of Slip Prevention I know a lot about slips because I work with Dr Bailey, Jenny and Tony I test a lot of floors with SlipAlert I fall over a lot! What is your experience of slips?

3 Did you know?... You are... Far Smarter than the best computer /robot Every time you walk You can be... Faster than Usain Bolt IF you slip Stay smart... stay safe

4 Slip Prevention Introduction to slip risks The Cinderella of Safety Glass slipper... Three Reasons Slipping remains a problem Lack of staff awareness and training The Invisible Risk + No Accountability Micro Roughness is misleading people Three Layer Model + Slip Prevention Questions + Actions

5 Slip Risk is INVISIBLE... We cannot see a slip risk Two floors may look the same But one is slippery The same floor that was safe can change Suddenly we get a spate of slipping accidents

6 What is different about slip risk? Country Path... Road... Indoor Floor... Who is accountable for your safety?

7 Monitoring risk... Fire Electrical Gas Slip Risk Floor Safety Periodic tests X When things change X When there is a problem X Slip incident may come to court... 4 years later

8 Managing Risk... Fire Electrical Gas Slip Risk Floor Safety Staff? Awareness Accountable Manager? Procedures Processes?

9 Is slip prevention under control?... Specify slip risk for all new floors Measure slip risk when floors laid or treated/coated/sealed or changed? Conduct slip risk assessment when cleaning regime changes? Who is accountable in your business?...

10 Major Injuries (Slips/Falls)... On flat / / / /10 Major slip injuries... a growing problem

One slip accident every 3 minutes There are 10,000+ major injuries Biggest cause of major injury There are 40 slips for every serious slip accident.

11 One slip accident every 3 minutes There are 10,000+ major injuries Biggest cause of major injury There are 40 slips for every serious slip accident. 600,000 hospital bed days caused by slips and falls. HSE shattered lives campaign Most Slips can be prevented! What is your role in slip prevention?

12 Different shoes/footwear... Which have the greatest slip risk? Which might cause a fall? Are safety shoes safe?

13 Different people... Different risk We are all different... Height, weight leg length, muscle strength Balance, control How fast we walk, Walking gait Stride length, Cadence... Our shoes: heel height, heel size, wear What we are carrying or pushing

14 Where do slips occur... Schools Hall, science labs, playground Swimming Pools/Leisure Centres Changing rooms, poolside, shower rooms Care Homes Outside Areas Car parks, decking Public places Stations, bus stations, airports What causes slip risk at each location?

15 Who is responsible for slips? Building owner? Local Authority? Cleaning Manager? Maintenance? Building operations manager? H&S Manager? School Leisure centre Bus station Car Parks Shopping Malls Care Homes Swimming Pool What is Local Authority responsible for?

16 Slip Test Machines... The good... The bad... The ugly... tortus Cannot measure wet slip resistance C: 1930, large, heavy, difficult

17 SlipAlert and Pendulum Both good SlipAlert Good for floors Correlates with Pendulum Fast, portable consistent Easy and accurate Pendulum Ideal for testing 1 tile requires expert set-up Invented by the author of the Pendulum Standard SlipAlert: BS st Century Slip Testing

18 Rz Micro Roughness doesn t work Almost zero correlation with PTV Won t detect contamination Cannot monitor change to slip risk Roughness is unhelpful for monitoring slip risk Somebody please tell the HSE

19 <1:1 million At least half need more grip Each point over 130 = 1% greater risk of a slip

20 Co-efficient of friction... Friction is expressed as µ = V _ H The faster people move the greater the slip risk

21 Why do we slip?... Most slips are heel slips Available friction less than required Friction People need different levels of grip depends on you and your shoes Poor balance + control Low ground clearance Clumsy and/or distracted Your heel accelerates away from you One foot goes faster than Usain Bolt Slowing people can reduce slip risk

22 Available Friction... Based on 50 years of studies + STATISTICS

23 R Numbers German ramp test SlipAlert Test Value (STV) Wet Slip Risk Suitable for Very Wet < > 180 Low Risk Low Risk Manageable Manageable High Risk Wet Areas Transitional Areas (i.e. may occasionally become wet) Areas kept largely dry Dry Areas DIN51130 R13 R12 R11 R10 R9 PTV > <18 CoF (Coefficient of Friction) > <0.18

24 Repeatability + Reproducibility Repeatability Several tests one consistent result Reproducbility Different testers, different machines Same Result Vital for monitoring change

25 Monitoring slip risk Risk Slowly Rising Risk Some floor will become more slippery over time. This can be caused by a build up of dirt that normal cleaning does not remove, or by wear to the floor surface.

26 Monitoring slip risk Several tests on one floor One area of a floor is different We must examine why? Risk

27 Slip risk can come down... Risk Risk coming down over time... Heavy footfall may scuff the floor and improve the slip resistance...making the floor safer over time. Where is potential the problem?

28 Monitoring slip risk Slowly Rising Risk Some swimming pools notice rising levels of risk over time. This can be caused by a build up of body fats that normal cleaning does not remove. If you know the risk is rising you can take action before it reaches an unacceptable level

29 Monitoring slip risk Slowly Falling Risk What could be happening? What could cause the risk to side suddenly again?

30 Monitoring slip risk We have measured the wet slip risk for 6 consecutive months and it is safe. How often do we need to monitor this floor?

Abnormally high risk on one area of floor Some shopping malls monitor random areas of floor every day.

31 Monitoring slip risk Slowly Rising Risk Some swimming pools notice rising levels of risk over time. This can be caused by a build up of body fats that normal cleaning does not remove. Abnormally high risk on one area of floor Some shopping malls monitor random areas of floor every day. If one area of floor measures a higher risk than the others it results in recleaning that area and greater care of future cleaning. takes seconds and will prevent injuries

32 Monitoring slip risk Slowly Falling Risk What could be happening? What could cause the risk to side suddenly again? Change seems permanent What could have happened? takes seconds and will prevent injuries

33 Floor with anti-slip treatment The anti-slip treatment has reduced the risk to an acceptable level... What happens next?

Three Layer Model Preventing Slips Measure the floor slip risk with and without contamination. Human Layer: shoe heel, walking speed, gait, weight.

34 Three Layer Model Preventing Slips Measure the floor slip risk with and without contamination. Human Layer: shoe heel, walking speed, gait, weight... Contamination Layer: dirt, water etc between the shoe and floor Floor Layer: material, hardness, porosity, surface finish... Top Tip: consider the factors you can control to reduce the overall slip risk.

35 Different floors Different floors = different risks Swimming Pool Surround Kitchen Outdoor areas Sports hall Warehouse floor Hotel entrance Shopping Mall School Hospital Corridor

36 New Floor... FOCUS Floor Layer: Is the floor able to cope with the intended use, and likely level of contamination? Measure the floor slip risk with and without contamination. Human Layer: shoe heel, walking speed, gait, weight... Contamination Layer: dirt, water etc between the shoe and floor Floor Layer: material, hardness, porosity, surface finish...

Maintenance + Wear FOCUS Floor Layer: How does wear affect the slip risk? Re-test slip risk when floor stripped/recoated Measure the floor slip risk with and without contamination.

37 Maintenance + Wear FOCUS Floor Layer: How does wear affect the slip risk? Re-test slip risk when floor stripped/recoated Measure the floor slip risk with and without contamination. Human Layer: shoe heel, walking speed, gait, weight... Contamination Layer: dirt, water etc between the shoe and floor Floor Layer: material, hardness, porosity, surface finish...

38 New Floor May last 25+ years... don t Get it wrong!... Years of problems Potential lawsuit Specify... Test, test and test again! Floor should remain safe for its viable economic life Did you know?: Some new floors lose 20% of their grip within weeks.

39 Slip Prevention... Human factors FOCUS Human Factors: shoe heel, walking speed, gait, weight, strength, balance, age, gender... Should staff wear safety shoes? Should staff be trained to understand slip risks? All staff?, Some staff? Measure the floor slip risk with and without contamination. Human Layer: shoe heel, walking speed, gait, weight... Contamination Layer: dirt, water etc between the shoe and floor Floor Layer: material, hardness, porosity, surface finish...

40 Slip Incidents... Duty of care History of the floor Cleaning + Contamination Slip resistance values Unusual activity The person and shoes What can we learn + how can we prevent future incidents

41 Staff Involvement Operational Staff H&S Management Cleaning and Maintenance Facilities Management New Building/New Floor / Re-Furbishment Architects / Designers Building Owners Construction Teams / Flooring Team

42 Human Factors... In slips + Falls How NOT to do it...

43 Monitoring slip risk After floor is laid Before / after cleaning When changes are made to the floor to the cleaning regime to the use of the floor exercise

44 Slip Risk Changes Variations on a Floor Risk may be changed by coatings, polishes, treatments or wear Contaminants may bond to the floor surface (e.g. Algae on an outdoor floor) Variation Over Time On some floors the slip risk can change significantly in the course of each day (e.g. a kitchen) Wear, coatings, polishing or contamination may change the slip risk progressively The Effects of Wear on Slip Risk Wear caused by pedestrians or vehicles can change floor surface Regular buffing may polish up the surface and change the slip resistance

45 The Importance of WET slip risk DRY slip risk is not directly related to WET slip risk Most slips happen on WET or contaminated floors Water can combine with other contaminants Water + oil or grease = higher risk Water + grit may be lower risk Water gets nearly everywhere

46 What can we do?... Specify and measure slip risk for new floors Monitor changes: Periodically + When there is a slip When changes made to the floor Monitor Cleaning Involve Staff Manage the human factors

47 Quick + Easy + Cost-Effective Cost Slip test machine costs 1 per day Slip test takes about 4 seconds Benefits Prevents injuries Lowers claims from staff and customers Improves cleaning + maintenance Reduces risk to the business

48 Most floors are manageable Many floors are not perfectly safe when they are wet But you can significantly reduce slip risks... and manage out slip injuries

49 4 ways to improve stair safety Depth of stair tread (going) Greater than 300mm, room for foot! Specially important on the way down No variations in step sizes Confuses people, causes mis-stepping Handrail height and grip size } Planning } new stairs 900mm high, circumference 32-45mm Edges of steps easily visible } Easy to fix Avoid patterned carpets or poor lighting Avoid poorly applied nosing's }

50 Don t slip DOWN... Slip Prevention is easy and cost effective Conduct a Slip Risk Assessment Train to raise awareness of slip prevention Monitor floors where the risk can change Simple Steps to Reduce Risk Specify safe flooring + test new floors Use 3-layer model to control slip risks Monitor changes + manage out risks Don t wait till someone falls

51 How much grip do we need?... Most people need at least STV 180 STV of 130 or better is safe for everyone

52 Let s test a floor Simple The further SlipAlert travels... the greater the risk Every point over 130 is 1% more risk

53 Questions Pocket Guide to Slip Prevention

Trip and slip Hazard policy

Trip and slip Hazard policy Issue No.: 01 Issue Date: February 2012 Version: 05 Reason for version change: Review July 2015 by AR Authorised by: WM Date: 22 nd July 2016 Document Number: STAN0022012 Originator: