Safety first

Falling through slipping, stumbling, buckling or missing a step is the number one accident black spot in most companies and facilities! Almost as many people are injured as in traffic accidents. All in all, there are almost 3 times more work accidents than traffic accidents with personal injury. Accidents caused by stumbling, slipping and falling occur almost 1,000 times in an average working day.

The German Workplace Ordinance and Accident Prevention Regulations demand that floors are even, non-slip and easy to clean. Special protective measures to prevent slipping are necessary if there is a risk of slipping attributable to water, oil, sludge, grease or waste. This must be taken into consideration when selecting flooring materials. This unambiguous demand is based on tests by insurance companies which indicate that slipping is the primary cause of all accidents.

Causes of tripping, slipping and falling accidents (Germany)

• Inappropriate footwear
• Poor lighting
• Incorrect cleaning, care product residue
• Slippy substances
• Personal factors (Carelessness, Hastiness)
• Inappropriate floor coverings

MEASURING METHOD: HOW IS SLIP RESISTANCE MEASURED?

The slip resistance of individual areas is divided into different evaluation groups based on tests on "slate level". 5 evaluation groups (R9 - R13) are assigned to the different areas, with increasing slip hazard from group R9 to group R13. The suitable slip-resistant floor coverings are tested and classified accordingly. To determine the degree of slip resistance of the various products, the so-called walk-on procedure is used, whereby a test person walks over the material on an inclined plane with an adjustable angle of inclination.

Commercial areas

The angles of inclination exclusively serve towards allocation to the assessment groups and are not equivalent to the angles of inclination displayed by slopes/ramps! 

THE DISPLACEMENT SPACE

An even, non-slip surface is not sufficient for work rooms involving lubricating materials; a displacement space must also be created under the walking level. The displacement space (V4-V10) is the open cavity between the upper walking and drainage level in the case of profiled surfaces.

STANDARDS REDEFINED: THE GRID SURFACE

In cooperation with the German designer Sebastian Herkner, a special anti-slip surface was developed for Area Pro. Sebastian Herkner was looking for a design that looks spontaneous and yet has a certain logic. That's how he came up with the repeating trapezoidal rectangles and the pattern that can be continued in all four directions. Area Pro offers multiple slip-resistant surfaces, including the Grid, which comes with a non-slip grade of R12V4. None of the slip-resistant surfaces affect the tiles visually. Area Pro's non-slip surfaces are available in larger-sized tiles as well, which regulations now permit in professional kitchens.

COMMERCIAL AREAS: WORK ROOMS AND AREAS WITH SLIP HAZARD

During the planning of workspaces and areas, the need for anti-slip properties should be taken into account and requirements such as cleaning effort, hygiene or load-bearing capacity should be considered. Accidents caused by slipping can not be prevented by non-slip flooring alone.

FLOOR COVERINGS OF WET BAREFOOT AREAS

Wet barefoot areas are distinguished by the fact that these areas are usually wet and walked on while barefoot. Steps and ladders are also floorings. Wet barefoot areas can be found in bathrooms, hospitals and changing, washing and shower areas in sports and working facilities as well as throughout swimming pool facilities.