How Might Slip Resistance Standards Become More Evidence Based?

Abstract

The purpose of slip resistance standards is to enable the specification of floors that will remain sufficiently during an economically reasonable life cycle, as well as to determine their relative safety and ensure their appropriate maintenance. It might be presumed that existing standards are evidence-based but where is the evidence to inform public good decision making? While many industries harness the power of historical data and use data analytics to make real time decisions, an appropriate database has yet to be established for any slip resistance test method variant. The data should ideally pertain to a currently used test, such as the wet pendulum test rather than a past variant that yielded somewhat different results. This paper considers many ways in which various organisations could help to establish evidence-based databases that would then enable data analytics to improve the specification of floor and ground surfaces, as well as their maintenance. Besides improved life cycle safety performance and reduced maintenance costs, there should also be fewer slip incidents and reduced health care costs.