Experts in the field provide their views on testing methodologies and how they are likely to evolve in the next few years

TESTING AND DEVELOPMENTS IN SLIP RESISTANCE

For decades, regulations and guidance regarding slip resistance have been as much about guesswork as they have been about science. While there has been some consensus on how to give a general slip resistance rating to tiles as they leave the factory, little attention has been given to how both wear and cleaning can affect this over time. That situation is likely to change over the next two three years, and everyone in the tile industry needs to come to grips with these changes.

Tile Today spoke to some experts in the field to find out what we can expect.

26

Professional Tiling solutions

Since 1966

Available exclusively to Beaumont Tiles throughout Australia

TILE SLIP LIFECYCLE SOLUTIONS

Bryan Vadas believes understanding the different slip resistance tests and matching each to the planned application of the tiled surface is key to making sure the highest level of slip mitigation is achieved. He spoke to Lee Dilkes from All Slip Solutions.

According to Lee, there are site and can test the tile once it a tester wearing work boots, on a three main criteria to consider has been subjected to wear and sloping surface contaminated with when choosing a slip test for contaminants. We can also restore oil. This is ideal for commercial tiles: practicality, relevance and the slip resistance characteristics applications where oil is a factor, or application. Lee relates these which may be lost over time.” where work boots are worn. choices to the work All Slip Solutions All Slip Solutions is based in The Pendulum Test (P0 -P5) does: Queensland, and Lee has been measures friction between a rubber

“We are testing tiles from all involved in testing the coated slider mounted on a pendulum arm around Australia, both prior to surfaces at the new Queensland and a wet tile. It replicates a bare installation as well as in-situ, and Country Bank Stadium in Townsville, foot or a rubber soled shoe on a flat the requirements and considerations a number of ambulance and fire surface contaminated with water are quite varied… stations and a local university. such as a residential bathroom. The "Our core focus is on the wet slip resistance value is then given a pendulum test method, because we TESTING AND REPORTING rating (P0 -P5). think this is the most reliable method The methods used to test slip One of the benefits of P-testing is to find the risks associated with slip resistance in Australia are the ramp that it can be done in-situ once the resistance on pedestrian surfaces. (“R” rating) and the pendulum (“P” tiles have been installed. R-testing

“In addition, we provide a service rating) tests. Some specifiers use cannot be done once tiles have been that covers the whole life of the both methods to evaluate if the tile installed, as the surface needs to be tile from the point of installation. is suitable for a specific project. tilted through a range of inclines, We are able to provide tests that The R-rating is applied to tiles which is impossible to do once the define the tile before it arrives on which are tested on a ramp, by floor is in place.

All Slip Solutions also provides a cleaning regime for a householder to follow, which ensures tile surfaces are kept clean and slip free. “Nonto reports that are generated in overseas facilities....” slip surfaces will lose their efficiency due to a build-up of grime and fats over time. A correct cleaning regime is essential,” Lee said.

At All Slip Solutions, Lee said there has been a surge in requests to test About All Slip Solutions imported tiles. Retailers and specifiers prefer to have reports issued by a local company that “aligns to the One of Lee’s major clients is a state government department that looks intended application”, he said. after public housing. Its services include a slip rectification program, “Many overseas manufacturers where it treats bathroom floor tiles that occupational therapists have provide R-test results, rather than the identified as a slip hazard, using a proprietary product that increases P-test which is preferred here. And the co-efficient of slip in the wet areas. After these surfaces are brought given our testing facility is local, we up to the required slip rating, the wet pendulum slip test method is used are able to provide a test result that to check that the requirements have been met. people have more faith in compared

When asked how tests will change by 2025, and what new technologies will come into play, Lee said he doesn’t believe that existing tests will change or be superseded to any great extent.

“I would like accelerated wear tests to be incorporated with slip tests on new products. These could indicate the lifespan of the specific slip rating, and how long the tiles last before they drop into a lower slip rating and become non-compliant.

“Whether or not this happens will largely be governed by economics, as many users are reluctant to spend any additional funds preinstallation. However, the ability to extend the consumer’s investment in tiles may change in the coming years."

All Slip Solutions also offers a “Slip Management Plan”, where the company audits pedestrian surfaces using the wet pendulum slip test method, at regular intervals.

“If and when these surfaces fall below the required results, we are able to treat them with our proprietary treatment to return them to the required slip resistance and issue a NATA accredited slip test report to show compliance.

“This is a cost-effective alternative to replacing the surface, as it is amortised over the life of the contract and shows a duty of care. We can provide a greater return on investment in the tiles by maintaining the integrity of their slip-resistance performance,” he said.

The requirement for testing and reporting falls into two main categories: “in-lab” and “on site”. The tests conducted “in-lab” are usually conducted on a few pieces of tile in a specified size and nature. These tests are done before supply is initiated, to ensure the supplied tiles meet the requirements of the application and project. “On site” testing is generally carried out once an issue has been identified.

The guiding principles of slip resistance specification in Australia are HB198:2014 and AS4586:2013, and there are five different test methods and resulting classifications:

P-Rating – Wet Pendulum – Classification P0 – P5 Dry Floor Friction Test – Classification D0 – D1 Wet-Barefoot Inclining Platform Test – Classification A – C Oil-Wet Inclining Platform – Classification R9 – R13 Displacement Volume Test Method – Classification V4 – V10

Each test method and classification has its place. For many years, the default position was the R-rating for those referring to slip resistance. However, given that most applications at the retail level have to do with barefoot or shoes on a relatively flat surface on which water is the contaminant, the P-rating system is perhaps a safer default position. But understanding the application and the most relevant test and classification is still important.

One of the benefits of shifting from the R-rating to the P-rating is that the material can be tested more cost-effectively. As Lee explains:

“We have had a lot of tile businesses send us samples to test for P-rating because the cost of a P-test is about 10-20% of the cost of an R-test…

“While the pendulum test does not cater for all applications, it does give tile professionals a [strong basis] on which to have the conversation with their customers about slip resistance, and the ability to compare between products.”

TESTING ENVIRONMENT

The variables that need to be considered when testing slip resistance include contaminant, angle of inclination, and footwear in the specification process. Traffic, wear, and cleaning regime are also important considerations.

The surface of a floor can change markedly over time with wear. A test administered directly after installation can vary significantly from a test conducted some time later. Environmental factors, such as foot traffic and abrasive contaminants, can change the slip coefficient over time. As a result, accelerated wear needs to be taken into account when specifying tiles for particular applications, especially in commercial or public areas.

Cleaning regimes and general maintenance can affect the performance of a tile especially in terms of slip resistance. In particular, the build-up of contaminants on the surface of tiles can make the tile slippery. This is not necessarily from a change in slip coefficient of the glaze, but the excessive build up means there is a possibility of slipping on the surface of the material rather than the tile itself. However, importers, wholesalers and retailers do not always provide cleaning and maintenance advice for the products they sell.

Surface treatments and coatings have evolved sophisticated responses to this situation. Previously, the only solution was to remove existing tiles no longer performing to the required specifications and install a new surface. Nowadays, tiles in certain applications can be chemically “etched”, altering the slip coefficient, and increasing the classification and category.

Another reason for testing tiles in situ, according to Lee, is that slip resistance on tiles may vary from batch to batch. “Coated surfaces can vary greatly from their stated slip resistance depending on whether they are applied correctly,” he said. n

Bryan Vadas is from the Tile Agencies Group

PERFORMANCE TESTING TILES

Brett Hyland, general manager – compliance services at ATTAR discusses how he sees slip resistance testing will evolve in the near future

Founded in 1986, Advanced

Technology Testing and Research (ATTAR) was established to conduct materials testing and research, and to provide NonDestructive Testing (NDT) training to Australian industry.

As it expanded its capabilities to meet market demand, ATTAR’s expertise now includes nondestructive testing, failure analysis and forensic engineering, risk assessment, specialist testing of structures and vessels, and expert witness services.

Brett is part of its executive leadership team. He provided some thoughtful responses to the questions posed by Tile Today.

What kinds of slip resistance tests do you currently provide? Are they for manufacturers that make the tiles, architects or specifiers who choose the tiles or facility managers who apply treatments, or a mix of all the above?

ATTAR operate a National Association of Testing Authorities (NATA) accredited laboratory and perform independent testing for the manufacturers of flooring products and coating systems, in order to establish the performance characteristics of these materials.

We also perform testing of installed products on behalf of facility owners/managers in order to establish compliance "as installed", or to evaluate the inservice performance of a flooring product. This type of testing also feeds into our specialist flooring failure and personal injury investigation work.

Laboratory slip resistance tests undertaken include oil-wet ramp testing, barefoot ramp testing, wet pendulum testing and dry floor friction testing. We also perform accelerated wear testing, where an evaluation is made of progressive changes to slip resistance during a simulated wear process, in order to provide insight into the likely wear behaviour once installed.

Brett Hyland, general manager – compliance services at ATTAR

How will tests have changed by 2025? What new technologies will come into play? How will new types of tests change the industry's approach to slip resistance? There is a noticeable shift towards considering the economics of an asset, including flooring, over its full lifespan. This critically depends on how long the asset can remain in service while maintaining favourable characteristics, including slip resistance. This will continue to drive pre-installation demand for independent evaluation of wear behaviour for flooring products, which already features in the supply specifications for many major facilities.

Post-installation, there will be increased need for targeted inservice inspection processes, where more frequent inspections would apply for parameters getting closer to their tolerance limits.

The alignment of Australian standards with recognised international standards, including those relating to test methodology and product performance, is a trend which will almost certainly continue.

Australia still maintains a number of local standards for slip resistance, and these will come under increasing pressure in the next few years. Standards for ensuring adequate sustainability of slip resistance for flooring materials are also likely to be developed or adopted in Australia in coming years. We expect these sustainability requirements to find their way into building regulations as referenced performance standards.

The focus on lifetime asset costs is bringing greater scrutiny to commercial floor cleaning techniques, as a potential contributing factor to premature flooring failure. It is likely that cleaning specifications will become more tightly monitored and more integrally connected with product warranty provisions.

Tightening of health and safety expectations will have continued impact on flooring product development. These include consideration of luminance contrast requirements for pedestrian hazard management and compositional constraints such as heavy metal content and respirable silica and asbestos.

Environmental concerns will increase pressure on product manufacturers to demonstrate green credentials in terms of sustainable materials, energy input, recyclability and/or safe disposal.

Finding a suitable balance between heightened slip resistance expectations, robust wear resistance, ease of cleaning and the various hygiene and environmental demands is likely to become more difficult for manufacturers to achieve with existing materials and processes. These circumstances will reward those manufacturers able to best innovate in terms of material selection, manufacturing processes and quality control.

How do your clients make use of these tests? What do they see as the potential outcome of these tests? We provide manufacturers with: • evidence of product compliance to support the supply of their commercial flooring materials • objective test data to help them in developing and improving their flooring products

“The alignment of Australian standards with recognised international standards, including those relating to test methodology and product performance, is a trend which will almost certainly continue. ”

We provide builders, facility owners and management companies with: • data to assist in the selection of new flooring products • evidence for compliance with the National Construction Code, in support of occupancy requirements • evidence for compliance with workplace safety requirements and demonstrated "duty of care" in ensuring safe environments for employees and other users of the premises, such as the general public • evidence of the effectiveness of facility maintenance practices, such as cleaning protocols in-service performance monitoring and remaining life management for flooring assets

We provide builders, facility owners and management companies with: • data to assist in the selection of new flooring products • evidence for compliance with the National Construction Code, in support of occupancy requirements • evidence for compliance with workplace safety requirements and demonstrated “duty of care” in ensuring safe environments for employees and other users of the premises, such as the general public evidence of the effectiveness of facility maintenance practices, such as cleaning protocols in-service performance monitoring and remaining life management for flooring assets

We also provide insurance assessors or personal injury lawyers with: • evidence related to warranty or insurance claims to assist in properly assigning responsibility for product failures • expert investigation of the circumstances surrounding personal injury events and -- assessment of the contributing factors. n

IF ONLY THEY KNEW...

Meet Ed and Sarah. They love their home and recently retiled their balcony. The job was perfect and they were thrilled. But 1 month later, they started to get leaching so they had their tiles professionally cleaned. The efflorescence returned so they cleaned it again. And again, and again.

IF ONLY THEIR TILE RETAILER OR TILER HAD RECOMMENDED EFFLOCK

Efflock is an advanced additive that prevents migration of calcium hydroxide and other salts that cause efflorescence. It works by impregnating mortar to provide a hydrophobic function that is unaffected by building movement or traffic wear. When added to screed, render, tile adhesive and grout, Efflock provides a primary water barrier and is proven to be a reliable solution for preventing efflorescence.

ENSURE CUSTOMER HAPPINESS RECOMMEND EFFLOCK

For stockist or technical enquiries contact: Ben Burdett – 0414 730 736

(National sales and technical enquiries) Denis Suess – 0418 422 858

(Agent for Southern & Central regions NSW, South Coast, Riverina & ACT)

Chris Garling – 0408 275 369

(Agent for Central & North Coast NSW, Hunter & New England)

Specifying slip resistance

Slip resistance testing is not really optional any more – risky tiling not only endangers the public, but can result in legal liability as well. To make tiling less risky, Australia has two institutions: a set of standards that define requirements, and certified testing resources that determine if flooring meets those standards. Carl Strautins, the current Chair of Standards Australia Committee BD-094 (Slip Resistance of Flooring Surfaces), describes how this works.

Slip resistance is a significant functional design issue. Not only does ignorance of this topic result in compromised floor safety, but insufficient specification, application and installation can expose those involved in the design and building process to litigious risk.

Injury due to falls results from a complex interaction of environmental and biomedical factors, not just from a single cause. That said, taking slip resistance into account is an important aspect of floor safety, as it delivers an assessment of the risk of slipping within the built environment.

It is often thought that slip resistance can only come at the expense of aesthetics. However, with modern processing techniques, this is no longer the case.

Safety around slipping

The Australian Building Codes Board (ABCB) indicates that falls are the greatest health and safety risk in commercial buildings. As stated in the Executive Summary to the ABCB 2011 document, Proposal to revise the Building Code of Australia to reduce the risk of slips, trips and falls in buildings: "The main health and safety risks in buildings were identified in a report to the ABCB (Atech Group, 2003) to be from slips, trips and falls. A subsequent report to the ABCB by the Monash University Accident Research Centre, 2008, The relationship between slips, trips and falls and the design and construction of buildings (the

It is important to confirm that the specified product meets the performance criteria by having tests conducted by a testing company accredited by the National Association of Testing Authorities (NATA), so as to be confident in the results, according to Carl Strautins

Monash Report) documented the number of injuries and fatalities from slips, trips and falls in buildings, and calculated the cost of these injuries to be $3.1 billion over 2002 to 2005 and fatalities to be $1.2 billion over 2001 to 2005." (https://www.abcb.gov.au/-/media/Files/Resources/ Consultation/RIS-Slip-Trips-and-Falls-Final-Decision.pdf)

Additionally, the Royal Australian Institute of Architects suggest that falls are the most common cause of personal injury claims against architects. This is often due to inadequate specification and documentation.

Since 2014, the National Construction Codes (NCC) has included Deemed-to-Satisfy Provisions to pedestrian ramps, stairs and landings for new buildings as outlined within Table D2.14 for Class 2 to Class 9 Buildings (e.g. commercial applications); and Table 3.9.1.3 for Class 1 and 10 Buildings (e.g. residential settings).

While the NCC only directly applies in certain circumstances, many floors in new commercial buildings must comply with AS 1428.1:2001, Design for Access and Mobility: General Requirements for Access – New Building Work, which require that: "All continuous accessible paths of travel shall have a slip-resistant surface".

This requirement may be ambiguous and open to interpretation, which is where Standards Australia Handbook 198 Guide to the Specification and Testing of Slip Resistance of Pedestrian Surfaces (HB 198) is seen as best practice to aid designers, specifiers, manufacturers and suppliers in the specification of new floor surfaces. HB 198 provides guidance on the selection of pedestrian surface materials for specific locations, using the test methods outlined in AS 4586 Slip resistance classification of new pedestrian surface materials.

Care must be taken however, on the interpretation of these tables where factors such as likely reductions in slip resistance can occur between tiles tested straight out of the box, to installation, handover and subsequent pedestrian traffic and cleaning. This is where accelerated wear slip resistance testing can assist to identify those materials that are likely to be problematic soon after installation.

Other design features should be considered to manage the risk, not simply just an assessment of the slip resistance for the floor. Management strategies may include a documented wet weather program to justify a

reduction of classification from P3 for an internal wet entrance foyer to a P2 for a transitional area. Such control measures could include external awnings, warning signage, additional matting, umbrella wrapping machines and more frequent inspection and cleaning rotations.

In considering the initial slip resistance classifications refer to Tables 3a and 3b within HB 198 and specify the slip resistance test method and document the classification required.

It’s important to note that there is no correlation between ramp and pendulum slip test methods. In general terms, the wet pendulum and dry floor friction (Dry FFT) slip resistance testing methods should be used in all situations, with additional ramp slip resistance testing in specific specialised industrial processes or barefoot situations. Accelerated wear slip resistance testing can indicate limitations on products, and thus identify potentially dangerous products from being specified. It is a good comparative indicator between products in assessing sustainable slip resistance.

As well as providing slip resistive flooring, other design features should be considered to reduce the extent and likelihood of a slip and fall. Such considerations include: the installation of water absorbent matting; ergonomic handrails; high visibility stair treads; and routine floor inspections. Where different surfaces are considered, slip testing and other tests such as stain resistance, gloss measurements and aesthetics should be conducted. This information will allow a comparative analysis to assess the relative benefits of each finishing system proposed.

It is important to confirm that the specified product meets the performance criteria by having tests conducted by a testing company accredited by the National Association of Testing Authorities (NATA), so as to be confident in the results. Too often there may be significant errors in the measurement of slip resistance because of inadequate technical competence and poor — or non-existent systems of quality management and control.

There is also the issue of impartiality for those testing companies that provide slip resistant treatments. The NATA (or ILAC) emblem on test reports provides assurance that the tests conducted on the samples can be relied upon. n

Author: Carl Strautins is the current Chair of Standards Australia Committee BD-094 (Slip Resistance of Flooring Surfaces). He is a Certified Occupational Hygienist, Certified Materials Professional at Safe Environments a NATA accredited testing and calibration facility and Australia’s only NATA accredited Type A inspection body to assess design specifications and NCC requirements for slip resistance.

Safe Environments are providing special rates for Tile Today readers. $90+GST Pendulum Slip Testing to AS 4586-2013 www.safeenvironments.com.au/tiletoday

Safe Environments services: • • • • • • • Oil wet and barefoot ramp slip test Accelerated wear slip tests Luminance contrast testing Tile defect inspections Surface quality & dimensions Stain resistance & PEI abrasion

Water absorption & small colour difference • • Silica dust testing & assessments Respirator fit testing

Melbourne: Sydney: PH (03) 9604 0700 PH (02) 9621 3706 Safe Environments Pty Limited are accredited by the National Association of Testing Authorities (NATA) to AS ISO/IEC 17020 for inspections and AS ISO/ IEC 17025 for testing and calibration. For current detailed scope of accreditation please search for No. 17139 at https://www.nata.com.au/accredited-facility

CLICK HERE TO ACTIVATE

To take advantage of this offer, download the lab request form, and send with samples for testing. Samples may be sent to either our Sydney or Melbourne office. www.SafeEnvironments.com.au