This is an overview of slip resistance testing, also known as tribometry. We will focus on the value of testing with a slipmeter or tribometer and what the results mean to employers, retailers and other operators of  facilities used by the public, as well as by manufacturers of flooring products, coatings and floor treatment contractors.

We will learn how to take the guesswork out of determining whether a particular surface is slippery or slip resistant, whether we are looking at it from the accident prevention aspect or liability determination in an accident claim. Generally, clean, dry surfaces are not slippery.

Most slip and fall accidents involve some surface contamination, such as water, grease or some other unwanted lubricant. The English XL Variable Incidence Tribometer was designed for testing walkway traction under such contaminated conditions. It is portable, easy to use and is particularly adept at testing wet surfaces with unsurpassed validity.

It comes with everything needed for testing, including a stair fixture which enables testing of stair nosings. Because of its outstanding functionality it has become the slip meter of choice among insurance companies and other serious investors of fall occurrence.

The XL VIT measures surface traction on a scale having a range from 0.0 to 1.0, with values at the lower end indicating danger and values in the upper range showing increased degrees of safety. It has long been accepted among researchers, as well as in the courts, that a slip index of .50 is the threshold of safety. That is, lower numbers are either hazardous or marginal, while higher numbers are recognized as adequate for normal walking and normal pedestrian activities.

We will illustrate a slip resistance test, first dry, then wet with water. Other contaminants can also be used, but water is the most commonly occurring one. Most surfaces are not slippery when dry, even if they appear smooth and shiny. It is important, however, to be able to measure surface traction in order to determine the relative safety of a walking surface.

When testing dry surfaces, the friction pad must be sanded before testing and after each slip of the test foot, as the pad slipping across the surface can polish it in such a way as to change its friction properties. A special grade of sandpaper is provided for this purpose.

The testing in this example shows a reading of .75, which is considered to be very safe. In actual field testing, a series of tests from different directions is recommended. Sometimes a surface has a directionality to its texture and it is not unusual for a floor to be more slippery in one area than another. Usually variations are very minor, however.

Now let's illustrate what happens to the traction on the surface when it is wet. In this example, our traction performance drops from .75 dry to .22 wet. Since this is far below the .50 threshold of safety, we know that this surface is hazardous when wet. If we had obtained a wet reading in the region of .50 or higher it would show that the floor is not dangerous and that even in a wet state would not be hazardous under normal rubber shoe bottoms.

It is not difficult to understand why the XL Slipmeter is having a significant impact on the effectiveness on safety engineering studies and accident investigations. Now the safety of pedestrians on a given walking surface is a matter of science rather than conventional wisdom and subjective opinions. Since fall accidents are the dominant loss type in the work place, as well as in public places, the value of the XL Slipmeter as a loss control tool is obvious. Simply stated, accurate, effective, slip resistance testing utilizing state of the art equipment is highly cost-efficient.

In today's world of advanced technology, many floor surfaces can be demonstrated to be safe even when wet. There are other factors affecting the safety of a contaminated surface, such as footwear, floor finishes and cleaning materials and methods. But the key element in most situations is the  basic surface slip resistance. An inherently unsafe floor, steps, walkway or ramp presents an unwise and potentially disastrous loss exposure. On the other hand, the ability to demonstrate safety through measured traction performance can significantly reduce the occurrence of fall down cases and the losses arising from them.

Traditionally, slip resistant measurements have been reported as Static Coefficient of Friction or "SCOF". At least in the U.S., traditional slipmeters can only be used on dry surfaces, as the SCOF definition denotes, two clean, dry surfaces in intimate contact . When using a slipmeter that incorporates dynamics similar to a walking foot, and the indications we are interested in involved in the contaminant on the surface such as water, we are measuring slip resistance rather than coefficient of friction.

XL output under such conditions is therefore known as a slip index. A reading is thus the coefficient of friction by the National Bureau of Standards definition if the surface is clean and dry and the slip index if the surface is wet or otherwise contaminated. The XL testing process is consistent and repeatable, whether dry or wet.

In conclusion, a wide variety of natural and synthetic flooring materials are available and there are many kinds of coatings and treatments that can modify their frictional characteristics. Some are safe for walking under contaminated conditions while some are not. Now that we have this ingenious, state of the art English

XL Variable Incidence Tribometer, we can actually measure the slip resistance of a surface under varied conditions. Measuring devices such as  dragsleds and other traditional slipmeters can only yield accurate results when conditions are dry and ideal. Usually when accidents occur, there is a contaminant on the surface that makes it slippery.

We have seen that the XL Slipmeter can reliably quantify the slip index of a given surface under actual conditions found in the real world. The technology is now in place and available for your use. The question remains, " Is it worth knowing where you stand with regard to slip resistance?"  Can you afford not to know?