The American National Standards Institute (ANSI) B101 committee on Slip, Trip and Fall Prevention has released the nation’s first-ever floor safety standard designed to prevent pedestrian slips and falls. The ANSI B101.1 standard provides cleaning professionals, property owners, insurers and flooring manufacturers with a tool by which they can measure the risk of a slip and fall and, in turn, prevent such accidents from occurring.
Under the new ANSI B101.1 standard, the slip-resistance of a walkway can be measured and categorised into one of three “Traction” ranges: High Traction, Moderate Traction or Low Traction. Floors categorised as High Traction present a low risk of a slip and fall while Moderate Traction and Low Traction floors present an elevated risk. High Traction floors have been clinically proven to reduce slip-and-fall claims by as much as 90%, according to the National Floor Safety Institute (NFSI).
