• Safety and Health at Work
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• v.9 no.1
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• pp.17-24
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• 2018

Background: Increasing the slip resistance of floor surfaces would be desirable, but there is a lack of evidence on whether traction properties are linearly correlated with the topographic features of the floor surfaces or what scales of surface roughness are required to effectively control the slipperiness of floors. Objective: This study expands on earlier findings on the effects of floor surface finishes against slip resistance performance and determines the operative ranges of floor surface roughness for optimal slip resistance controls under different risk levels of walking environments. Methods: Dynamic friction tests were conducted among three shoes and nine floor specimens under wet and oily environments and compared with a soapy environment. Results: The test results showed the significant effects of floor surface roughness on slip resistance performance against all the lubricated environments. Compared with the floor-type effect, the shoe-type effect on slip resistance performance was insignificant against the highly polluted environments. The study outcomes also indicated that the oily environment required rougher surface finishes than the wet and soapy ones in their lower boundary ranges of floor surface roughness. Conclusion: The results of this study with previous findings confirm that floor surface finishes require different levels of surface coarseness for different types of environmental conditions to effectively manage slippery walking environments. Collected data on operative ranges of floor surface roughness seem to be a valuable tool to develop practical design information and standards for floor surface finishes to efficiently prevent pedestrian fall incidents.

• Korean Journal of Health Education and Promotion
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• v.22 no.4
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• pp.203-213
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• 2005

Purpose: To assess the environmental hazards of falling accident in the homes of the elderly. Method: 222 homes of the elderly were assessed by the home environmental Checklist from May to July in 2003. Results: The mean score of home environmental hazards for fall were 13.19 with the highest score being 49, ranging from 4 to 24. The bathroom was the most hazardous place in the home, porch came next bedroom, kitchen, living room and stair followed them. The floor surface such as finishes and non-skid mats was the most hazardous interior factor in the home, using bathroom came next furniture and illumination followed them. The floor surface such as finishes and non-skid mats in the bathroom, kitchen, living room and porch, illumination of bedroom and stair were the most prevalent hazards in the home of interior. Of the 49 potential hazards, bathroom grab bar was the most prevalent one with 89.9%, and non-skid rugs in the porch, bathroom and kitchen, safety of dinner table, the threshold and furniture of porch, and illumination of bedroom were prevalent more than half of the home under assessing. Men, living in the separate house or villa with stairs were in more hazardous environments. Conclusion: To reduce the potential hazards of fall accident in the home, improving hazards relating to floor surface such as slip resistance surface and mats is important specially those of the separate house or villa with stairs.