 WHAT IS THE SLIP ALERT™ DEVICE?
SlipAlert™ is designed to
behave in the same way as the heel of a shoe as it slips across the
floor, whether it be dry, wet or contaminated with some other liquid.
In order to do this SlipAlert™ has been carefully designed so that the
characteristics of the machine, for example its weight, the size of the
slider, its speed, etc., all combine together correctly to simulate a
heel slipping on a hydrodynamic lubricating film. Unless the correct
combination is achieved the lubricating film will either fail to
provide any lubrication at all or provide too much. As a result any
test machine which does not have the correct combination of
characteristics will suggest either that a floor is safe when its
accident record clearly shows it is slippery, or that the floor is
slippery when users' experience shows that it is not.
Until now, only one portable slip test machine has been recognised by
bodies such as BSI, HSE and the UK Slip Resistance Group as correlating
with slip accidents. This is the TRL Pendulum as described in BS 7976.
It is an excellent and reliable machine, but it is relatively
expensive. It is portable but very heavy and bulky. It takes some time
to set up and take a set of readings, and it requires an experienced
operator to ensure that the test result is reliable.
Trouble viewing the above video? Download Quicktime for free.SlipAlert’s slider contacts floor on its trailing edge while
rolling of front wheels adds negligible friction Above photos and videos are courtesy of Safety Direct America
SlipAlert™ has been developed to complement the Pendulum so that
virtually anybody can carry out a test and discover how the floor
surface would fare if tested by an experienced operator using a
Pendulum.
SlipAlert™
is not intended to be relied upon as the sole means of testing in legal
cases or for manufacturers’ specifications - those should still be
tested using a Pendulum. SlipAlert™ can still be of great value
following a slipping accident as a test can be made immediately after
the accident by untrained personnel whereas it may be weeks, months or
even years after the accident that the various parties agree to the not
insignificant cost of getting a specialist organisation to come and
test the floor with a Pendulum.
Operation of SlipAlert™ is
simplicity itself. Its ramp is set on the floor to be tested,
SlipAlert™ is switched on and pulled backwards to the top of the ramp,
whereupon the indicator lamp switches from red to green. The operator
simply lets go of the handle and allows SlipAlert™ to roll down the
ramp and across the floor.
When it stops, the reading on the
counter is noted and this is then converted to a reading of coefficient
of friction or equivalent Pendulum Test Value using a graph on the ramp
or the set of tables provided. Alternatively the reading can be
categorised as 'safe', 'marginal' or 'dangerous' from the limits shown
on the graph. To those not used to dealing with Coefficient of
Friction, Pendulum Test Values etc., the graph shows operators whether
the reading corresponds to a Safe, Marginal or Dangerous floor.
It
is anticipated that this machine will be particularly useful to those
individuals who are directly or indirectly responsible for the safety
of employees, customers, visitors and tradesmen who visit their
premises.
The cost of personal injury claims is forever
increasing. SlipAlert if used in a sensible and conscientious manner,
could contribute significantly to reducing personal injury claims and
also other costs associated with slip accidents.
Global Safe
Technologies Australia and its Authorised Dealers are all using the
Slip Alert™ device and its measurements are used in providing - both
our initial complimentary as well as part of our industry unique FSMP™
-Floor Safety Inspection Reports.
DO ANY MACHINES GIVE THE RIGHT ANSWER?
The
right answer is one which correlates with the risk of slipping
accidents. Studies over many years and experience in UK has shown that
the TRL Pendulum, as described in British Standard BS 7976, does react
correctly.
A new machine, SlipAlert, was specifically designed
to take into account the role of the hydrodynamic lubricating film and
uses a slider which simulates shoe sole material. As a result SlipAlert
correlates with the Pendulum.
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