The force that allows you to walk without slipping is referred to as “Traction”. Common experience shows that dry concrete sidewalks have good traction,while wet surfaces or freshly waxed floors can have low traction.
Technically traction is measured as the “Coeffecient of friction”. A higher coeffecient friction means more friction and therefore more traction.The coeffecient of friction depends on two things;the quality of both the walking surface and the soles of your shoes.
To prevent slips and falls, a higher coeffecient friction ( COF ) between the shoe and the walking surface is needed.On icy,wet and oily surfaces , the COF value can be as low as 0.10 with soles that are not slip resistant.A COF of 0.40 to 0.50 or more is needed for excellent traction. To put these figures in a perspective , a brushed concrete surface and a rubber heel that will often show a COF greater than 1.0.Leather soles on a wet smooth surface ,such as ceramic tiles or ice, may have a COF as low as 0.10.
Providing dry working and walking surfaces and slip-resistant footwear is the answer to slips and their resultant falls and injuries.Obviously high heels , with minimal heel to surface contact and shoes with leather or other hard ,smooth- surfaced soles lead to slips, falls and injuries.Shoes with rubbercleated soft soles and heels provide a high COF. However if the surface is slippery, no footwear will provide a safe COF.
Trips and falls occur when the front foot strikes an object and is suddenly sliped,making the upper body being thrown forward and a fall occurs.
As little as a 3/8″ rise in walkway can cause a person to “stub” his toe resulting is a trip and fall.The same thing can happen going up a flight of stairs with only a slight difference in the height of subsequent steps can cause a person to trip and fall.
Step and fall is another type of working and walking surface fall.This occurs when the front foot lands on on a surface lower than expected ,such as when unexpectedly steping off a curb in the dark.In this type of fall a person often falls forward.A second type of step and fall occurs when one steps forward and down and, either the inside or outside of the foot lands on an object highr than the other side, and one tends to fall forward and sideways.
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