“

Preventing Slip, Trip-and-Fall Incidents

in the Hospitality Industry

Speaker’s Bio:Russell J. Kendzior is the President, and CEO of Traction Experts, Inc. and

Founder of the National Floor Safety Institute (NFSI). Internationally recognized as the leading expert in slip-and-fall accident prevention, he is the creator of the Traction Plus® Safe Surface System , a unique combination of products that have been clinically proven to reduce slip-and-fall accidents by as much as 85 percent.

Sought nationwide as a safety consultant, public speaker, and expert witness, Kendzior is the author of the best selling book on accident prevention entitled, “Slip and Fall Prevention Made Easy” (Government Institutes, Inc., 1999) as well as the “OSHA Self-Inspection Checklist” (A.M. Best Company, 1997-current). Mr. Kendzior has written numerous articles on slip-and-fall accident prevention for such industry publications as Chain Store Age, ISSA Today, Services Magazine, Texas Lawyer, and Professional Retail Store Maintenance Magazine (PRSM). Mr. Kendzior has been featured in numerous newspaper and magazine articles and has been appeared on several nationally televised news programs including ABC News Good Morning America and Inside Edition. Mr. Kendzior has also been the focus of a documentary on floor safety aired by PBS stations nationwide.

Mr. Kendzior frequently lecturers various trade and professional associations. In 2005, he was appointed as a Technical Advisor to the Board of Delegates of the National Safety Council. Mr. Kendzior is a graduate of Bradley University with a BS in Mathematics.

The National Floor Safety Institute (NFSI) was founded in 1997 as a not-for-profit

501(c)-3 non-for profit organization with a mission to:

“aid in the prevention of slip, trip-and-fall accidents through education, research

and standards development”

Our Objective Today

• Inform you of a growing problem of slips, trips and falls

• Educate you to the cause-and-effect relationships that contribute to slips, trips and falls

• Provide you with relevant information which will allow you to better manage your slip, trip and fall problem

Insurance Claims

Cost as a Function of Floor Maintenance

• Slip and fall costs are a serious problem in the hospitality industry

• Slip and fall costs are a leading cause of employee and guest injuries

• For every dollar spent on floor care, you will spend three dollars paying for a slip and fall

Retail Maintenance Costs

($ Millions annually)

$1,000

Labor

62.5%

$150 $450

Chemicals

9.4% Slip and Fall Claims

28.1%

Slip, Trip and Fall Legal Costs

• Average cost of litigation $52,000

• Average Slip and fall settlement $24,500

• Average jury award $178,000

• Since 1980, personal injury lawsuits have risen

by more than 300%

Slip-and-Fall Costs

• It is estimated that slip’s, trip’s and falls costs the hospitality industry

more than $10 billion a year

• Average victim of a slip, trip and fall is a Caucasian female over the

age of 60

• Slip-and-fall related injuries are expected to double in

proportion to the growth of the nations elderly population

• Falls are the leading cause of emergency room visits in the U.S. and

the leading cause of accidental death for individuals over the age of 85

Most Common Fall Locations

1. Entrance Floors

• Trips on floor mats

• Wet floors

• Low traction flooring materials

2. Guest Rooms

• Slipped in bathtub

• Slipped getting out of bathtub

3. Stairs

• Improper stair nosing’s, treads, or design

• Inadequate lighting

The Effects of Polymerization Why Floors Become Slippery Over Time

New Quarry Tile (X1600)

Polymerized Quarry Tile (X1600)

Polymerization Removal

Before After

Walk-Off Matting

Warning Signs

Education and Training

• Self-Help Books

• Training Programs

• Internet / CD Rom

based training

Fraud

Hard Fraud – Soft Fraud

Slip, Trip and Fall Standards

... And How They Affect You!

Federal Regulations

Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA)

Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)

Rely upon and reference ANSI and ASTM standards

OSHA Regulations

Department of labor CFR 1910.22 describes keeping

floors “clean, orderly and in a sanitary condition”

Does not require that walkways met any specific COF

value

Does not specify any test method, standard, or test

instrument

Proposed new rule calls for walkways to be inspected by

a “Qualified Person”

Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)

ADA (ADAAG) appendix required that walkways

maintain a COF of 0.6 and 0.8 for ramps but did not

specify the test method, standard, testing instrument, or

condition (wet vs. dry)

Incorrectly referenced OSHA as having a 0.5 COF

requirement which was withdrawn via a bulletin

announcement in 2006

NFSI 101-A

Wet (Neolite) SCOF

method

Defines the Term

“High-Traction” as

those walking surfaces

whose wet SCOF >0.6

Tribometer Selection

Process

- BOT-3000 test device

NFSI 101-B

Wet (Neolite) SCOF method

Applies to floor cleaning agents and treatments

products whose wet SCOF increases by 20%> above

baseline are rated as high-traction

NFSI Product Certification Program

The NFSI has developed a product

certification program designed to assist the

hospitality industry in making

a more informed decision when selecting

appropriate walkway materials, finishes, and

floor maintenance products

Look For The NFSI Label…

…Its your guarantee that the product has been clinically

tested to meet the NFSI’s “High-Traction” standard of

enhanced slip resistance

ANSI B101.0 - ANSI B101.6

The Not-So-Distant Future

ANSI B101.1

Applies to all walkway surfaces (first ever uniform test

method)

Used in both the laboratory and the field

Defines 3-wet SCOF ranges or “Traction Levels”

High-Traction (0.6+)

Moderate Traction (0.4-0.60)

Low Traction (<0.4)

NFSI Walkway Auditing Guideline

References 101-A and 101-B standards

Sets out the “rules of the road” for the measurement of

walkway slip resistance

Defines the procedure by which floors can be evaluated

for the slip resistance performance

Currently being balloted as ANSI B101.0

ANSI B101.0 - B101.6

B101.0: This guideline provides a technical review of the science

of measuring surface friction (tribometry) including slip-and-fall

dynamics, its causes and contributing factors and the testing

devices and methods used to measure the slip resistance of

walkway surfaces.

B101.2: This standard covers the change in dynamic coefficient

of friction (DCOF) resulting from various chemical or physical

walkway surface treatments on ceramic tile or other hard floor

surfaces under wet conditions. This standard can be used in the

laboratory or in the field.

B101.3:This test method specifies the procedures and devices

used for both laboratory and field testing to measure the wet

dynamic coefficient of friction (DCOF) on common hard surface

floor surfaces.

B101.4: The purpose of this standard is to provide a means of

quantitatively, and meaningfully, assessing the slip resistance of

areas, and locations, that are expected, and/or known, to be wet

while being accessed by barefoot individuals, and to significantly

reduce the likelihood of injuries resulting from slips in these

areas.

B101.5:The purpose of this standard is to offer, at the point of

product sale, guidance to users/purchasers on the traction

capabilities of the contents of the package through the display of

labels and markings

B101.6:This standard provides criteria for the selection,

installation, inspection and maintenance of floor mats, runners,

and rugs as it relates to the prevention of slips, trips and falls.

National Floor Safety Institute

P.O. Box 92607

Southlake, TX 76092

www.nfsi.org

Russ Kendzior

(817)749-1705

russk@nfsi.org