Plant Services - January 2008 - (Page 40) SAFETY Flooring Mop-on cleaners and treatments are pH-neutral solutions with ingredients that increase slip resistance. ough dilution ratios are critical, unskilled labor can apply these water-based treatments for cleaning and slip resistance. Once the floor achieves a COF safety compliance benchmark of 0.5, 0.6 or greater, (see sidebar: “COF standards”) it needs regular, documented audits to prove the floor is properly maintained and to initiate corrective adjustments as needed. Implement polices and procedures A written, enforced floor safety policy and procedure guide can help improve safety, while demonstrating management’s commitment to prevention. It should address common causes of slips and falls, including poor worker training, lack of weather contingency planning, inconsistent hazard identification, inappropriate footwear and inadequate floor cleaning, among others. It should detail how to perform and document measurement, improvement and maintenance of floor surfaces. Teach and test new hires on these documents; retrain employees annually. Document, fi le and send instruction and follow up to appropriate persons within the organization. Learn from incidents If people have already slipped or fallen, examine the qualitative and quantitative loss data, where available, to help identify how, where and under what COF standards To paraphrase OSHA, “A reasonable measure of slip resistance is static coe cient of friction (COF). A COF of 0.5, which is based upon studies by the University of Michigan and reported in ‘Work Surface Friction: De nitions, Laboratory and Field Measurements, and a Comprehensive Bibliography,’ is recommended as a guide to achieve proper slip resistance. A COF of 0.5 isn’t intended to be an absolute standard value. A higher COF might be necessary for certain work tasks, such as carrying objects, pushing or pulling objects, or walking up or down ramps [or on wet surfaces]. “Slip resistance can vary from surface to surface, or even on the same surface, depending upon surface conditions and employee footwear. Slip-resistant ooring material such as textured, serrated or punched surfaces and steel grating [or treatments] might o er additional slip resistance. These types of oor surfaces should be installed in work areas that are generally slippery from wet, oily or dirty operations. Slip-resistant type footwear might also be useful in reducing slipping hazards.” The American National Standards Institutes’ (ANSI) A 1264.2-2001 “Standard for the Provision of Slip Resistance on Walking and Working Surfaces” recommends a static COF (SCOF) of 0.5 for walking surfaces under dry conditions. ANSI/NFSI B101.1 “Test Method for Measuring Wet SCOF of Common Hard-Surface Floor Materials” recommends a SCOF of 0.6 on wet oors. 40 .PLANTSERVICES. J http://www.advance-us.com http://www.advance-us.com/industrial http://www.PLANTSERVICES.com
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