National Floor Safety Institute
National Floor Safety Institute
The National Floor Safety Institute (NFSI), located in Southlake, Texas, was founded in 1997 as a non-profit 501 (c)(3) organization whose mission is to aid in the prevention of slips, trips and falls through education, research, and standards development. NFSI is led by a Board of Directors representing product manufacturers, insurance underwriters, trade associations, and independent consultants.[1]
The NFSI provides a wide range of services including independent product testing and certification, educational training, and standards development. The NFSI Product Certification process is intended to provide product manufacturers the means to have their products independently evaluated for wet slip resistance. The result is to provide the end-user relevant information to make more informed buying decisions. The NFSI has spent more then fifteen years researching various test methods by which materials can be evaluated for their degree of slip resistance.[2]
In 2006 the NFSI was awarded the distinction of authoring standards for slip and fall prevention by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) and ANSI also oversees the B101 committee on slip, trip and fall prevention.[3]
Walkway Auditor Certificate Holder[edit]
In 2014, the NFSI was again recognized by ANSI as an accredited training provider and issuer of the Walkway Auditor Certificate Holder (WACH) designation.[4] The WACH program is a 4 day classroom style course that trains attendees to become Walkway Auditor Certificate Holders after successfully passing the exam. The course covers tribometer training, remediation, flooring types, and other walkway issues. [5]
Standards Developer[edit]
The National Floor Safety Institute B101 Committee was formed to develop safety standards intended to provide preventative measures in all manner of pedestrian ambulatory safety in regards to slips, trips, and falls and is titled the B101 Safety Requirements for Slip, Trip, and Fall Prevention. The committee was awarded by the American National Standards Institute in 2006 and has been overseen by ANSI since. As of 2018, the B101 Committee has written 12 safety standards in the field of Floor slip resistance testing among other fields. ANSI specifies the walkway safety standards ANSI/NFSI B101.1 and ANSI/NFSI B101.3 to measure both the static (SCOF) and dynamic (DCOF) coefficient of friction.
B101.1[edit]
The ANSI/NFSI B101.1 is used for both laboratory and field testing to measure the wet static coefficient of friction (SCOF) of common hard-surface floor materials. [6] This test method provides a measurement procedure setting forth SCOF traction ranges that facilitate remediation of walkway surfaces when warranted. The safety standard specifies for a level floor using the ANSI/NFSI B101.1 wet static test method that flooring having a minimum SCOF of .60 or greater as a "high traction" floor. If the SCOF of the flooring falls to .40 or below, the flooring is categorized as "low traction" floor.
B101.3[edit]
The ANSI/NFSI B101.3 wet dynamic test method is used for both laboratory and field testing to measure the wet dynamic coefficient of friction of common hard-surface flooring.[7]This test method provides a measurement procedure setting forth DCOF ranges which facilitate remediation of walkway surfaces when warranted. The safety standard specifies for a level floor using the ANSI/NFSI B101.3 wet dynamic test method that flooring having a minimum dynamic coefficient of friction (DCOF) of 0.42 or above as "high traction”. If the DCOF falls to 0.30 or below, then the flooring is categorized as "low traction". [8] The standard also specifies a minimum DCOF of 0.46 for ramps. With an official test method and a safety criterion, this test is useful in determining the anti-slip properties of flooring, helping building owners and managers to avoid future slip and fall accidents (by taking remedial steps to remedy slippery flooring), or help avoid losing a lawsuit based on a fraudulent accident.
References[edit]
- ↑ https://nfsi.org/about-us/
- ↑ https://nfsi.org/about-us/
- ↑ https://www.ansi.org/
- ↑ https://www.ansi.org/Accreditation/credentialing/certificate-issuers/AllDirectoryDetails?&prgID=212&OrgId=2044&statusID=4
- ↑ https://nfsi.org/training/events/
- ↑ http://www.prweb.com/releases/2012/7/prweb9669110.htm
- ↑ https://webstore.ansi.org/RecordDetail.aspx?sku=ANSI%2fNFSI+B101.3-2012
- ↑ ANSI, B101.3 - Test Method for Measuring Wet DCOF of Common Hard-Surface Floor Materials, 2012, http://www.nfsi.org/ansi_b101_3.php
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