Non-slip Floors: What Should Be Considered?

Non-slip floors: The anti-slip finishing of a floor coating can be necessary for various reasons. Their production is possible through different measures. Which system can be used depends not only on the required slip class but also on the area of application, the mechanical load and the desired surface appearance.

Author: Martin Gies | Photos: Disbon

Master painter Müller coats an entrance area in a multi-storey building. After a year, a visitor falls and breaks his arm. The owner criticizes the floor because it is too smooth in his view. He demands a free repair of the seemingly too smooth floor, the injured party demands compensation for pain and suffering.

Requirements for anti-slip floors

The craftsman relies on the fact that the floor was coated as it was commissioned by the building owner and that it is described in the brochure of the material manufacturer. The floor therefore fulfills slip class R 10. Has the craftsman done something wrong? What should he have considered? Who's to blame? The question is not easy to answer legally, the following aspects play a role here:

• Requirements for slip-resistant floors are regulated by the German Social Accident Insurance (DGUV) generally 108-003 (formerly BGR 181). However, this only describes requirements for workspaces and work areas.
• Private entrance areas are not covered by the DGUV rule. However, if it concerns commercial areas (for example, the entrance to a doctor's office), the DGUV rule stipulates a slip class R 10 V 4 or R 11 for "entrance areas outside". The slip class R 10 used here would therefore be too low. For private areas, however, a lower slip class can be quite advantageous, cleaning rougher surfaces is generally much more complex and difficult.
• In our example, an accident only occurred after one year. It may well be that the surface has changed. Film-forming cleaning agents (care) can become very slippery in connection with moisture. The use of external care is therefore not recommended.
• Inadequate cleaning is also a possible cause. Wet leaves, dirt etc. increase the risk of slipping.
• A structured surface can be polished by grinding loads (e.g. regular pushing of heavy loads). This also worsens the slip resistance.

There are therefore a number of causes that could have led to the accident. The choice of the right slip class is the responsibility of the client. Because which slip class is specifically required for an object cannot always be determined easily.

In any case, it is helpful for the craftsman to point out possible risks when submitting the offer. The following passage can be used for this, for example: "The planner or client must check whether the anti-slip properties of the coating structures described below match the desired properties and the trade association requirements for anti-slip according to. the DGUV Rule 108–003 in its current version for the intended area of application."

Anti-slip coatings

What possibilities does the craftsman have to produce a non-slip floor coating? Different construction variants are described in the technical information for each material. This is usually stored on the manufacturer's homepage, where it is often also possible to download test reports on slip resistance.

In addition to the slip class (R 9 to R 13), a displacement space (V4 to V10) can be determined during the test. This describes the roughness or more precisely the "cavity below the raised level", through which water under the foot can be displaced. This is necessary in areas with a lot of moisture or with fats and dusts.

For coating systems that have to show a displacement space, the coating is usually sprinkled with quartz sand or granite chippings. Depending on the grain size of the spreading material and the amount of the head seal applied to it, different slip classes and displacement spaces can be achieved.

The slip classes R 9 to R10 can also be achieved without the use of spreading material. Matt to silk matt coatings often have a certain slip resistance. The sprinkling of color chips or matting agents can also improve the slip resistance. In some cases, fillers such as silicon carbide or glass balls in the coating also serve to increase the roughness.

In the case of conductive coating systems in particular, it is often difficult to produce non-slip surfaces because seals and bedding materials impair conductivity. A good solution is a matting agent (eg DisboADD 955 from Disbon). The powder is blown into the fresh coating with a funnel gun and is so fine that it has no negative impact on the conductance values.

Further information:

www.disbon.de