Do you know what is the basic safety measure of your Floor Covering and Footwear?

The important and common parameter of a floor covering like Rug, Carpet, Mat, etc. and footwear is Skid Resistance in terms of health & safety measure.

Now, what is skid resistance, and why it is important?

It is the amount of resistance that the sole of the shoe exerts, or it is the resistance to traction and grip between a shoe sole and the floor while moving over the surface. The definition is same for floor covering but the backing is the point of contact here with the surface instead of the sole.

Skid resistance is important because it prevents slip-and-fall accidents, which cause needless physical harm as well as financial hardship through medical expenses and lost work to the injured person.

How is Skid Resistance measured?

Skid Resistance is measured in Coefficient of Friction (COF), on a requirement based on the COF from 0.00 (equivalent to an ice skating rink) up to 1.00 (which is like walking on dry carpet). So, the higher the number, the greater the skid resistance.

The principle applied to find out the skid resistance - A load (W) is fixed on the sample after keeping it on a standard surface. Then the sample is pulled slowly to move to find the force (F). Hence calculate the Coefficient of Friction (μ) = F / W. Here we can also calculate the Coefficient of Static Friction and the Coefficient of Kinetic Friction separately with the Static Force and the Kinetic Force reading.

So, it is obvious that the backing material of the carpet and sole material of the footwear plays a emergent role in this resistance with the floor surface when we walk and move. Now, we have no control on floor surface but can choose the correct Floor Coverings and Footwear with high grip backing material or sole, because the better the grips, the higher the rating.