Poor installation of anti slip flooring causes a string of slipping accidents

As a result of a string of serious slip accidents, a leisure centre called in specialists from the Health and Safety Laboratory to assess the slipperiness of a recently installed floor in the swimming pool changing areas.

Although well specified, careful examination of the floor surface revealed the existence of several small areas of epoxy within the floor where anti-slip particles were missing. These areas were found to be where the slipping accidents had occurred.

HSE research has shown that the surface roughness of 'bare' epoxy flooring ie areas with little or no distribution of anti-slip particles, can be extremely low. This may lead to low coefficient of friction values and hence extreme slipperiness.

The flooring contractor was recalled to the site and instructed to re-apply anti-slip material to the effected areas. No significant slip accidents have been recorded since this action.