Abstract:
Slip and fall injury incidents present a potential challenge in public transportation
environments where pedestrian traffic is high, especially in areas of varying moisture levels. This
study aimed to assess the slip resistance of select pedestrian ways in the Light Rail Transit
stations of the Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA), as well as the University of
Washington Stadium station, using a British Pendulum Tester to measure the dynamic
coefficient of friction (DCoF) under dry, damp, and wet environments. This involved a total of
twelve sites covering various floor types.
A non-parametric aligned rank transform (ART) ANOVA analysis and other statistical
tests were used to describe the collected data.
Analyses indicated that surface treatment as well as the presence of moisture were
significantly related to traction performance (p <0.001). The untreated polished concrete as well
as the tile surface had a large reduction in slip resistance upon becoming wet, sometimes to a
level considered to have a high slip potential, whereas the treated surface, particularly the
Sparkle Tuff-coated concrete, had a high degree of slip resistance, wet or dry.
From the Industrial Hygiene perspective, this report underlines the importance of
considering design controls early in the planning and construction process as a long-term
prevention of slips leading to injury. While a slip-resistant surface can be achieved using
commercially available products, the process of application itself may lead to exposure to
chemicals, and this problem can largely be eliminated during the construction phase itself if the
concrete is treated in such a way as to provide a textured surface. This report may be of
assistance to Sound Transit in this respect.