Slips, trips and falls constitute a large and costly public health problem. Such accidents are the leading cause of deaths from injury for the elderly. Health system costs due to injuries from slips, trips and falls exceed the cost of road injuries. The largest legal settlement so far, of a slip-related incident in Australia, is $2.75 million for a case in which ATTAR were involved as an Expert Witness.

Understanding your floor’s slip resistance in accordance with Australian Standards can disclose the risk of your floors to personal injury and possible litigation. In the very least, it demonstrates your contribution to a safe working environment as required by the OH&S Act and can assist to comply with your obligations under the Wrongs Act (Liability of Occupiers).

National Floor Safety Consulting Services

ATTAR hold NATA accreditation for all slip resistance tests prescribed by Australian and New Zealand Standards and which cover wet pendulum, dry friction, wet barefoot ramp and oil-wet ramp slip resistance testing methods.
For more information on the appropriate test method for your product, our helpful guide titled 'Which Slip Resistance Test?' provides comprehensive advice including sample amounts required.

ATTAR provide comprehensive slip resistance testing and floor safety consulting services across Australia. In Sydney, NSW and ACT our slip resistance testing and floor consulting is represented by our agent SESA (Safety & Environmental Services Australia).

Our floor saftey experts can provide design and maintenance advice along with slip resistance and compliance data for new surfaces and, in addition, independent rectification advice for surfaces that are currently in use that do not meet minimum requirements for slip resistance.

    New Surfaces:

ATTAR can assist not only in the determination of slip resistance properties for new surfaces, but provide valuable information on durability to assist in the evaluation of slip resistance properties over time. Such informaton can assist in the specification of surfaces and potentially avoid unexpected costs associated with remediation work or replacement.

A challenge that many encounter is the compromise between choosing a rough surface to increase slip resistance and the cost of maintenance to ensure adequate hygiene is maintained. ATTAR Technicians have been actively involved in research to examine the issues and solutions to ensure a holistic and balanced approach to health and safety on pedestrian surfaces and can provide guidance in the selection of an appropriate surface.

See our report as published in the Municipal Association of Victoria workplace e-newsletter for a discussion on slip resistance and maintenance of pool concourse areas.

    Existing Surfaces:

ATTAR provide an on-site slip resistance testing service Australia wide with representation in NSW and ACT through our agent, SESA (Safety & Environmental Services Australia).

To assist in the determination of appropriate tests, ATTAR can provide test recommendations based on either a complimentary audit in some cases, or from a description/plan of the facility. We will then prepare a no obligation quotation.

ATTAR encourages regular slip resistance testing in order to monitor inevitable changes in the floor slip resistance properties over time. Regular testing also assists compliance with regulations such as the OH&S Act (Employer’s obligation to provide a safe working environment) and the Wrongs Act (Sec 14B Liability of Occupiers) and in the event of a slip incident occurring, can mitigate litigation.

If you do not undertake regular slip resistance testing, consider the following advice from solicitors Moray & Agnew;

"In slipping cases, it is our experience that an occupier’s first realisation that a floor does not meet appropriate non-slip characteristics is after an accident occurs and a Writ arises. Plainly, many occupiers of ‘high foot traffic’ areas would benefit from pro-actively or pre-emptively understanding the risk associated with floor surfaces that have worn over time and become slippery as a result rendering them ‘inherently dangerous’.”

With over 25 years experience in floor consulting, our range of floor safety support services includes:

• Australian Standards compliant and NATA accredited slip resistance tests covering all 4 aspects of Australian Standards:

  • Wet Pendulum

  • Dry friction

  • Oil-Wet Ramp rating

  • Wet barefoot ramp rating

• Slip risk audits that nominate areas, test method and frequency that remove doubt, reduce risk of injury and assist compliance with OH&S obligations and liabilities.

• Remedial consultation to provide unbiased recommendations on methods to increase or maintain slip resistance to suit your circumstances.

• Valuable assistance with tile selection. Our accelerated wear test program can save on unexpected cost of replacement caused by the selection of tiles with poor durability leading to unexpected wear and slip injuries.

• Advice on surface treatment products that are often used to prolong the life of flooring surfaces by increasing slip resistance.

• Slip accident investigations. We offer Expert Witness Reports.

• Independence and professionalism.

Slip resistance testing demonstration:

Why ATTAR?

ATTAR are NATA accredited for all slip resistance test methods, ensuring the highest quality of service and reporting standards.

If you are presently obtaining slip resistance tests, consider their applicability to Australian Standards, their independence and relevance of the tests as they relate to conditions under which your floor surfaces are subjected. Slef assessment questions you should consider are:

• Are your reports easy to read?

• Is there sufficient information to take appropriate action?

• Do your dry friction tests take into consideration the condition of the surface in its available state or is the surface only tested after wiping clean? Testing the floor in its available state provides greater due diligence by indicating the effect of contaminants such as dust.

• Is the site that has been tested, identified with photographs? Photographic identification provides conclusive evidence of the surface tested and can assist in the event of a subsequent writ.

• Do your tests include a Wet Pendulum test? Unless your surface is a dry surface where there is no likelihood of becoming wet, a wet pendulum test is an appropriate test either in isolation of a dry test or to complement a dry test.

In addition to meeting the requirements for NATA accreditation, we pride ourselves on the quality and readability of our reports.

Ramp Rating Tests 
Our Inclined Ramp Tester (German Ramp Test) in our Melbourne laboratory offers clients a slip resistance rating for the floor surface which yields an R classification such as R9, R10, R11, R12 & R13 on the Oil Wet Ramp test or an A, B or C classification on the Wet Barefoot Ramp test.
Ramp rating tests are performed to the current Australian Standard AS/NZS 4586 - 2004 Appendix C and D.

ATTAR slip resistance tests conducted to the following Australian Standards:

AS/NZS 4586 - 2004 Slip Resistance Classification of New Pedestrian Surface Materials using:

• Wet pendulum slip resistance test (Appendix A)

• Dry floor friction slip resistance test (Appendix B)

• Wet barefoot slip resistance test (Appendix C)

• Oil wet ramp slip resistance test (Appendix D)

AS/NZS 4663 - 2004 Slip Resistance Measurements of Existing Pedestrian Surfaces using:

• Wet pendulum slip resistance test

• Dry floor friction slip resistance test
  

Slip Resistance Testing and Slip Accident Investigations

The prevention of slips in the workplace and at home is governed by legislation that provides either regulations for compliance by the responsible person or remedies for the affected person suffering injury as a result of non-compliance. Codes and regulations can be found in the following links:

• Occupational Health & Safety Act (currently specific to each state and planned for a national
  Act in 2012)

• Building Code of Australia

•  Australian Standards

• Civil Law Act

• Disability Discrimination Act

• Slip accident investigations are conducted by ATTAR Slip Testing Technicians with many years of slip accident investigation and testing experience. Evidence has been presented in Supreme, Federal, County, Magistrate's and Coroner's court.

• ATTAR can arrange to audit your slip testing program or develop one with you. We conduct routine testing in shopping centres and public buildings on a regular cycle to ensure security and peace of mind through demonstrating your Duty of Care. Regular testing monitors variations in cleaning programs or environmental changes caused by such things as wear or building renovation.  

 Australian Standards Committee