Advice From Experts - Expert Advice - Building Industry

It is claimed that conducting slip resistance tests on products ‘fresh’ from the factory produces test results which are illusory and do not offer an accurate depiction of the slip resistance of flooring surfaces over time.¹ Naturally, as a surface wears out, its slip resistance changes. It is estimated that the slip resistance of tiles reduces by 10%-50% in the first 3 months from installation. This adds a whole new perspective to the meaning of life cycle concept of slip resistant floor surfaces.

Carl Strautins from Slip Check Pty Ltd, a specialist safety consulting company in Australia who developed the accelerated wear test explains, ² “There has been significant development over the last few years where the impact of accelerated wear techniques are highlighted by multinational companies, who have implemented internal standards based on this test methodology. This enables organisations that design, construct and procure their own assets to minimise their exposure to risk in slip and fall incidents and litigation and provides ceramic tiling manufacturers a method to differentiate their products against their competitors whilst satisfying the end users needs.

Safe Design Concepts – Mitigating Risk of Slipping, Now and in the Future

Slips and trips are the main health risks in most buildings. For this reason, architects, specifiers and clients are under increasing pressure to specify floors which are suitably slip resistant for their intended use in the long term.

Following the research, Pilkington’s has recognised that it is imperative to be able to demonstrate the slip resistance of floor surfaces over time to ensure risks of slips are mitigated as far as possible, now and in the future. Pilkington’s Group is a leading world class manufacturer of building product solutions with headquarters based in Manchester, United Kingdom. The group offers innovative design, manufacturing and installation services to construction, house building and retail markets worldwide.

Dorset Woolliscroft Outperforms Worldwide Competition

Independent accelerated wear slip resistance tests were conducted for floor tiles from Pilkington’s UK manufactured Dorset Woolliscroft floor tile collection. The results of the tests are aimed to assist the specifier and client to choose the correct tile for a specific application.

Dorset Woolliscroft Optima outperformed worldwide competition being the best in three tests and in the top three performers in the remaining tests. The combination of the rankings made it the best tile overall. Dorset Woolliscroft Aggregate also performed very well and was in the top three in wet pendulum tests and oil wet ramp tests demonstrating outstanding qualities for external and internal shoe shod applications. Dorset Woolliscroft Tetra Super, which has clusters of pyramid shaped profiles and with a highest possible displacement volume (V) value of 10, performed exceptionally well in the pendulum tests.