Wal-Mart, the biggest and smartest supermarket chain, like most others has a procedure for keeping their floors clean. This however doesn’t mean that their floors are safe. In fact, the process of cleaning a floor can make it unsafe. How does this happen? Complete cleaning, using detergent, and water takes place after store hours….
[media id=6 width=320 height=240] Two words are used interchangeably, level and flatness. The American Institute of Architecture, and most materials manufacturers specify the amount of difference off of plane that is acceptable for their product. But this doesn’t account for undulations common in concrete. An acceptable tolerance of 3/16 inch in 10 feet does not…
It must first be determined what constitutes the failure. Once I was looking to build a wood floor that would finish to dark reddish brown. I chose Brazilian Walnut. To get added strength and resistance to indentations (high heel shoes, wheel marks), I chose wood that was quarter sawn. Little did I know…
[media id=1 width=320 height=240] What makes an expert credible to a jury? Clearly this is a critical question for both lawyers, and the expert witnesses they retain. The most knowledgeable expert in the world is functionally useless unless they can effectively communicate their expertise to a jury, something every lawyer knows well. Kathy Kellerman,…
As a member of the ASTM F-13 committee we keep up with current scientific standards that measure floor safety. The committee met in January and confirmed the F609-05 standard for measuring slip resistance. This standard is not to be used on contaminated floors, such as vinyl flooring, ceramic tile flooring, stone flooring, and rubber flooring….
We are involved in a sports and recreation center. There is Solid Maple, Vinyl Composite Tile, and Carpet on the floors. The site is 4 years old, but the building opened 8 months ago. The wood flooring is showing early signs of expansion, and the VCT is de-bonding. The evidence is that moisture vapor…
The Forensic Science surrounding Slip & Fall cases has dramatically changed. The science of slip resistance measurement in the field, has taken a dramatic turn. As a member of ASTM International, we stay up on changes in scientific standards, as they pertain to the use of floors, and flooring materials. Since ASTM standards…
Ken, Shortly before the holidays, we replaced the 4 flights of failing stair treads with Nora Norament stair treads. Aside from a slight hiccup with post-installation cleaning which we resolved after the first day, the stairs are performing quite well after 6 weeks of use. Thank you for your help with this. I am certain…
As wood flooring experts, we are involved in a wood flooring case that revolves around the degree of damage to a solid oak floor. Heavy furniture was rolled over the floor, without protection, leaving furrows in the surface. When is it too late to refinish the wood? The investigation of a floor that is…
Viewing “Sweep Sheets” is part of the forensic science of slip & fall in supermarkets. As slip & fall experts, we look at what makes a floor safe or unsafe. We have handled investigations in Wal*Marts, Targets, Ralphs, Vons, Safeway, and others. The traditional slip meter tests are no longer accepted as scientifically valid,…