New Slip-Resistance Categories for Hard-Surface Flooring
ANDERSON, S.C. – A new product-use rating system announced earlier this month should help assess the slip resistance of hard-surface flooring.
The Tile Council of North America (TCNA) announce the new, five-category “product-use classification system” on Feb. 2 as part of a revision to an ANSI standard.
The five categories developed by the ANSI Accredited Standards Committee responsible for the standard will allow manufacturers to directly communicate areas of use based on the slip-resistance characteristics of their products, with manufacturers starting to provide the information in upcoming months.
“The product-use classifications in ANSI A326.3 are simple, clear and easily understood,” said TCNA Executive Director Eric Astrachan. “Most importantly, the availability of this produce use information in the marketplace will lead to a reduction in slip events.”
Under the American National Standard Test Method for Measuring Dynamic Coefficient of Friction of Hard Surface Flooring Materials for ANSI A326.3, the five product-use categories are:
• Interior, Dry (ID)
• Interior, Wet (IW)
• Interior, Wet Plus (IW+)
• Exterior, Wet (EW)
• Oils/Greases (O/G)
According to the standard, hard surface flooring products shall be classified into one or more of the categories. The standard also provides possible areas of use for each category.
In presenting the new classifications during a press conference during TISE in Las Vegas, Astrachan emphasized that slip resistance is not synonymous with dynamic coefficient of friction (DCOF), which is the measured value of slippage. While DCOF is used as a guideline to help define two of the categories (Interior, Dry and Interior, Wet), the new classifications are designed to make an easy choice of flooring based on an area’s function.
Astrachan also stressed the ability to choose the right flooring to make it safer. He cited Centers for Disease Control (CDC) data showing 34,000-plus deaths annually of people over age 65 due to slips and falls; and 127,000 non-fatal fall injuries causing time away from work in 2020, according to the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics.
TCNA Director of Standards Development and Sustainability Initiatives Bill Griese says the revision is the result of years of testing, research, and consensus building. He calls it the most significant advancement in the flooring industry since the 1950s and is a key step forward for better specifications and consumer safety.
To assist manufacturers in providing product use classification ratings, the TCNA Product Performance Testing Laboratory has testing options that can help assess a product’s slip-resistance properties. The TCNA lab is prioritizing testing needs for product use classification to achieve widespread adoption, communication and use of the classification system. To order product testing, go to www.TCNAtile.com/lab.
