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08/16/2011

Slip Resistance Testing Explained [Part 1]

By SR Max

Slip Resistance Testing Explained [Part 1]
Have you ever slipped while wearing slip resistant shoes? If you work in healthcare, food service, waitstaffing, grocery or any other industry with slick flooring this has undoubtedly happened before. Does this mean that slip resistant shoes dont work? Absolutely not, it just means that the shoes were not slip resistant enough for the environment.So how do you know if a pair of shoes is up to the challenge of your workplace? First you need to understand what slip resistance is and how it is measured.What Does Slip Resistant Mean?In terms of footwear, slip resistance is the amount of resistance the sole of the shoe exerts while moving over the walking surface. Slip resistance is measured in Coefficient of Friction (COF), which is equal to the ratio between the maximal frictional force that the sole of the shoe exerts and the force pushing the sole across the surface.Thats a lot of five-dollar words to explain that slip resistance is all about traction and grip between a shoe sole and the floor, which you probably already knew. What you may not have known is that there is an entire system for measuring slip resistance, both in flooring and in footwear.How Is Slip Resistance Measured?Some people think that a shoe is either slip resistant or not slip resistant, but slip resistance is actually measured on a scale based on the COF. The scale runs from 0.00, equivalent to an ice skating rink or another extremely slippery condition, up to 1.00, which is like walking on dry carpet. So basically, the higher the number, the greater the slip resistance.So rather than ask whether or not a pair of shoes is slip resistant, it is more imperative that you discover HOW slip resistant a pair of shoes is. There are several methods of testing slip resistance in shoes, which we will go into a little later, but know that shoes slip resistance rating depends on its ability to resist sliding in a given set of conditions. The better the shoe grips, the higher the rating.What Slip Resistance Standards Exist?Unfortunately, there are currently no national standards for slip resistant footwear in the workplace. Unlike safety toe footwear, which is required to perform at a certain level and clearly document the safety performance, slip resistant footwear comes in a wide variety of performance levels. If there is one thing that you need to remember when researching slip resistant shoes, it is this:NOT ALL SLIP RESISTANT FOOTWEAR PERFORMS EQUALLY.A variety of factors affect the performance of a shoe including tread pattern, contact between outsole surface and flooring, and outsole compound technology. When choosing a pair of slip resistant work shoes, its important for you to find out how that shoe is going to perform in your environment. If that information isnt readily available in the shoebox or at the store, go online to the manufacturing companys website or call the company and ask for a copy of their slip resistant test results.At SR Max, we require a minimum Coefficient of Friction of 0.40 from all of our shoe brands. If a shoe doesnt meet that standard, we wont sell it to our customers. Our own brand of shoes performs much higher than that, reaching into the mid 0.7s in the worst conditions. However, some of the shoes you find cheaply in mall shoe stores will only test at 0.2 or even worse! This means that you cant count on these shoes to provide traction in oil, grease or other hazardous work conditions.If you have questions about slip resistance testing or about our line of industry leading slip resistant shoes, wed love to hear from you. You can give us a call or find us on Facebook and Twitter to ask your question, it would be our pleasure to educate you about slip resistant shoe testing.

Categories: Q & A  |  Authored by: SR Max  |  Posted: 08/16/2011