Slip, trip and fall accidents are a constant and reoccurring source of Personal Injury insurance claims. While the majority of claimants may be aged or infirm, a number of physical and environmental site characteristics may exist which can play a critical role in the causation of falls resulting in serious injury. Such factors include; weather, time of day, lighting conditions, the type of floor or stair surface covering, and stairway and handrail dimensions. When properly recognized and understood these factors may be controlled or eliminated and costly injury claims can be reduced or avoided.

Whether on a flat surface or a stairway, the nature of the walking surface is critical to the likelihood of slip, trip and fall accidents. The slip-resistance of a walkway surface, under both wet and dry conditions, is a function of the Static Coefficient of Friction or (SCOF). This is a measure of the friction between the shoe sole and the walking surface. Research has determined that actual slips, trips and falls of able-bodied subjects wearing leather-soled shoes, occur at an average SCOF of .35.

There are various committee standards used by the American Society for Testing and Materials to establish test methods for SCOF measurement. The test methods adopted by PACE for field testing are according to the latest proposed International Standard Specifications Test Method for Slip Resistance of Walkway Surfaces as measured by a drag type friction tester. This test method assigns the term "slip resistant" to a walkway surface with a measured SCOF (between standardized leather and a clean, dry, level surface) of .45 or greater. For testing of wet surfaces, the measured SCOF must be equal to or greater than .35 (wet) and .50 (dry) to be considered slip resistant.

The test apparatus used for slip, trip and fall accidents is the Model 80 Floor Friction Tester manufactured by Technical Products Company. The apparatus consists of: (a) a force gage, (b) a load cell/sled with three locations for attaching either leather or Monarch EVA sensor pads, (c) a standard calibration weight, and (d) standardized tile test panels with known wet and dry SCOF values.

When stairs are involved, in addition to the SCOF evaluation of the walkway surface at the site, the physical characteristics of the stairways and landings are measured and recorded. These values are then compared to current building code minimum standards to determine if the stairs, landings, and handrails are in compliance. For example, the rise and run of a stairway should fall inside the code-required maximum and minimum values and any variations in the riser heights or the tread runs over the entire stairway that should not exceed 3/8". The location, heights, and cross-sectional area of the handrails is also critical to a safe stairway should a loss of balance occur in the stairs.

PACE Investigative Services has conducted numerous on-site field tests at slip, trip and fall sites to determine the SCOF at the location of the fall.

For further information about PACE Investigative Services, please contact Sherrie Henderson at 818-251-1200 or e-mail her at shenderson@hfinc.com.