Slip Statistics: Mitigating the Risk
Each year, over 800,000 individuals are hospitalized due to slip and fall injuries. The wet and cold months are when we see much of that number, as snow and ice impact driveways, walkways and parking lots, but also as the water from that ice and snow is tracked inside on wet shoes. This hazard is in addition to the ones already encountered every day, whether from a liquid spill in the home, water from the bathtub or kitchen sink getting on the floor or even a recently cleaned commercial space where the floor hasn’t had quite enough time to dry.
At Chattanooga Floor Care, we offer a way to mitigate that risk with our polyaspartic flake flooring. Our flake flooring underwent extensive third party testing and is not only compliant with the ANSI (American National Standards Institute) 326.3 standard for pedestrian walkway surfaces, but also passed a DCOF (dynamic coefficient of friction) test with room to spare.
The CDC also reports over 155,000 injuries related to swimming pools, many as a result of slip and fall, and does not include injuries that happen at water features or parks that are considered amusement parks by the CPSC. Pool decks by their very nature have an inherent nature for slip and fall accidents because they are often slippery when wet. (Of Accidents in and around Swimming Pools) Among our residential flooring installs, pool areas are our second most common type, falling just behind garages.
While we do perform quite a few residential installations, we can’t forget our commercial clients and their desire for a long lasting and safe product that still looks appealing. One of our frequent clients, Erlanger Hospital, located in downtown Chattanooga, has been replacing much of their flooring with the slip resistant polyaspartic flake flooring, including patient and guest restrooms. Not only is it easy to clean and stain resistant, but it provides that extra piece of safety, especially in an area that is prone to being slick.
Another factor that many may not consider is that slip and fall incidents are one of the most costly in terms of workmans comp lost-time claims, costing an average of $48,575 per incident. (Workers' compensation costs 2022) Fortunately, our flake flooring is suitable for nearly any area, residential or commercial, and a decrease in incidents means a possible decrease in insurance premiums and who doesn’t love saving some money?
No matter the purpose or size of the space, polyaspartic flake is a surefire way to improve safety and durability and even save time. We always offer free consultations and would love to talk with you about how we can improve your home or business and make it a touch safer as well.
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Of Accidents in and around Swimming Pools. Hg.org. (n.d.). Retrieved January 17, 2023, from https://www.hg.org/legal-articles/of-accidents-in-and-around-swiming-pools-30287#:~:text=According%20to%20the%20Centers%20for,of%20slip%20and%20fall%20injuries.
Workers' compensation costs. Injury Facts. (2022, September 26). Retrieved January 17, 2023, from https://injuryfacts.nsc.org/work/costs/workers-compensation-costs/