NEWS - SLIPS AND TRIPS - 10.04.2006

Design out slips and trips hazards

Campaign myths

All shiny floors are banned. If you have one and are inspected, the inspector will demand you change it. Not true. This is a rumour that has arisen following inspections carried out by both the Health & Safety Executive (HSE) and local authority Environmental Health inspectors. The truth is, they’ve taken enforcement action against some businesses which could have been interpreted as a ban, but this certainly isn’t the case. What have they done?

Wrong floor specification

In T&A Health & Safety yr. 3, iss. 21, pg. 1, (30.08.2005) we told you about a new tool, developed by the Health & Safety Laboratory in conjunction with the HSE, which identifies a slip rating for hard surface floors. The Slips Assessment Tool (SAT) is a new computer software package which is used in conjunction with a microroughness meter. The package calculates a slip rating which then gives the inspector his basis for any enforcement action. One of the most public cases of an inspector taking enforcement using the SAT occurred at a London museum. The museum had just spent thousands of pounds on a face-lift. As part of it they laid a new floor, which when tested with the SAT identified an unacceptable slip rating. This meant the contractor responsible for laying the floor had to treat it with an acid etch to improve the slip rating.

Get it right at the design stage

An existing floor which hasn’t been the cause for multiple slip and trip accidents, is highly unlikely to attract the attention of an inspector. But if you’re undertaking a new build, or conducting major renovations covered by the Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 1994 (CDM) you’re far more likely to attract an inspector’s eye. If so, they will be looking at the design and specification process for your flooring. They’ll want evidence that as part of this process, you’ve not only looked at the design and aesthetic qualities of the surface, but also the slip properties.

Tip 1. This is the responsibility of the designer and contractor you appoint to complete your works. They should meet the costs for any remedial work - but it could leave you with a floor which is totally different to the one you chose.

Tip 2. If you opt for a hard surface, avoid polished shiny surfaces and go for a material which has a raised texture. If you don’t and there is the potential for moisture or liquid contamination, an inspector could force you to change or modify it.

What about cleaning?

Cleaning and prevention of liquid contamination are only suitable control measures for an existing floor. If you can demonstrate that although there is a risk, your cleaning etc. manages it, then you’re unlikely to face action. But this only applies to exiting floors, not new ones. We say “unlikely” because it is very hard to predict an inspector’s expectations with this campaign. During most campaigns there are usually good levels of consistency demonstrated by inspectors. For whatever reason it doesn’t seem to be the case this time.