Test Results

Coefficient of Friction

The coefficient of friction is basically a measure of a product’s ability to provide safe traction and thereby prevent slips and falls. While simple in concept, its measurement has had a checkered history. Results obtained vary widely with the method and device used. It is therefore meaningless to report a coefficient of friction result without also reporting the method and equipment used to determine it. Safeguard® Hi-Traction safety covers have consistently been tested for superior traction and slip prevention.

Historically Significant Slipmeters:

• The Hunter Machine – 1929
• The Sigler Pendulum Tester – 1943
• The Brungraber Mark I – Early 1970s
  Not portable
  Useful only on dry surfaces
• The James Machine
  Useful only on dry surfaces
• The Brungraber Mark II – 1989
  Significant improvement on the Mark I and on the James technology
  Meaningful results on both wet and dry surfaces
  Avoids sticktion and adhesion problems
• The English XL Variable Incidence Tribometer – 1993
  Designed primarily for wet testing
  Portable and easy to use

For real world testing on walking surfaces, one has a choice of two slipmeters:

1. The Brungraber Mark II and
2. The English XL VIT
   Pedestrian Slip Resistance
   Second Edition, 2003

Widely Used Testing Standards

For Dry Testing Only:

• ASTM F1678 – Brungraber Mark I
• ASTM C1028 – Horizontal Pull Dynamometer (For factory testing of ceramic tile)
• ASTM D2047 – James Machine (Testing of floor polishes)
• UL410 – James Machine

For Testing Wet or Dry:

• ASTM F1677 – Brungraber Mark II
• ASTM F1679 – English XL VIT
• ASTM D5859 – English XL VIT
• NFPA 1901 – Brungraber Mark II and English XL VIT
• OSHA 1926.754 – English XL “or equivalent”

Unfortunately some reported results for wet surfaces are obtained using the James Machine. Others use inappropriate methods, such as one designed for polished floors when measuring textured surfaces designed for slip prevention.

SAFEGUARD® Covers

SAFEGUARD® Hi-Traction and HiGlo-Traction Covers have been tested (ASTM F1677) on the Brungraber Mark II with the following results:

We Exceed OSHA and ADA Standards

Our unique no-slip surface nearly doubles OSHA’s 0.5 guideline and exceeds ADA’s 0.6 measure for Coefficient of Friction values, as confirmed in independent lab testing. Even in wet or oily conditions, it greatly exceeds these guidelines.

Similar results were obtained using test method NFPA 15.7.3 (utilizing the English XL VIT)