According to safety supplier Arco, effective slip prevention can halve the rate of injuries due to slip and trip incidents. Consequently, the company is now offering a surface testing service to its customers using the Health and Safety Executive’s SAT Site Assessment tool.
Arco will provide the service via a new surface-measuring device that works by calculating the flooring substrate and providing a profile of the floor using a small probe that takes ten readings. This information is then fed into the HSE’s SAT Site Assessment tool and a number of questions answered about the type of floor, the cleaning regime, the type of soiling, and the footwear being worn. This produces a score of low, medium or high risk. By altering some of the answers to the questions, such as type of footwear, it will show a different risk factor, illustrating to businesses the effectiveness of sufficient slip-resistant footwear, explains Arco.
A range of surfaces, including tiles, steps, linoleum, marble and wood can be assessed using the device and it measures Rtm (Rz) parameters.
Andrew Yeaman, divisional director – footwear, gloves, factory equipment at Arco, said: “The slip-measuring device enables you to assess the level of risks of slips and trips in your businesses and, using the HSE’s SAT Slip Assessment tool, you can determine the best footwear for your business.”
For more information, visit www.arco.co.uk
