NFSI Publishes Hard Surface Safety Standard

Washington, DC, Dec. 13, 2010 -- The National Floor Safety Institute has published a new national safety standard for testing hard surface flooring, ANSI/NFSI B101.1.

The standard, according to Occupational Health & Safety magazine, gives property owners, facility managers, and risk professionals a tool to measure the risk of a slip and fall.

"We have been anticipating the publication of this standard for some time now," said Dr. Howard Harris, president of Traction Auditing, LLC of Southlake, Texas.

In 2007, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimated 2.2 million Americans sought emergency room treatment for an accidental fall. CDC has declared elderly falls a national epidemic costing the U.S. economy more than $40 billion annually.

Using the standard, walkway slip resistance can be measured and categorized in one of three "traction" ranges: high, moderate, or low. Floors categorized as high traction present a low risk of a slip and fall, while moderate and low traction floors present a higher risk.