Posted On: May 25, 2005, 2:26 pm CDT

Posted By: Bob Beck

Slippery when wet. The problem is how do you measure it? How can you improve the wet slip coefficient of friction? And how can it be documented? The root problem behind most floor problems is that they are soiled. You cannot clean a floor with a mop and bucket. Soil, Chemical, Grease are mopped and rinsed into your mop bucket to be reapplied to another part of the floors. Five years ago we introduce a piece of equipment that puts the cleaning solution down, scrubs it with two counter rotating brushes at 550 rpms and then EXTRACT the soil into recovery tank. Your floors are now clean, safe and dry. We have been able to demonstrate Clean, Safe and Dry but until last year we could never measure it. We now incorporate the Universal Walkway Tester in all demonstration. We test before cleaning and hand the document to the customer, after cleaning with the Turbolava we test again. To receive our NFSI certification we had to be able to document that the machine using water only would improve the wet slip coefficient of friction 25%. Traction treatment works if the floors are clean. Chemical play a roll if use correctly. The problem is in the application and daily maintenance. Traction treatment can burn and degrade the surface; chemical residue can be reactivated with water causing floors to become slippery with the smallest amount of moisture. How many of your customer understands the PH scale of 0-14? . Cleaner above 9 are considered very good degreasers almost impossible to rinse off with a mop and bucket. Have they every read there MSDS sheet? I think what Risk Managers, Owners, Operators need is information to be able to make decisions. We try and do more than just sell our products. We educated the consumer.
Customer case profile:
138 locations, each location doing well over a Million a year. They were concerned about appearance. We tested prior to cleaning and measured .19 to.29 in different location well below OSH .50 and ADA .60 standards. After cleaning with water only the grout was clean and that shinny film on the floor was gone. More importantly the next test measured .54 to .59…. the customer is now INFORMED. He understands where he stood and where he can now stand. (With out slipping).
Picture this a pregnant 20 year old slips and falls and has a miscarriage. The Lawyers determined the ceramic tile from the factory measures .60 above the safe standard; they will be removing from litigation. It now falls on the owner, cleaning contractor. The problem is the owner want to have his floors cleaned as cheap as he can. The contractor grabs a product that has a PH of 11 and mops it on. It cuts the grease with ease. When its dry it looks clean. The problem is the spilled ice tea reactivates the chemical and now you have a slippery floor. Who’s to blame? Some ones is going to pay its just a matter of how much and were you negligent. No your product, understand the procedure and test for effectiveness. Your best offense is a good defense. Inform your customer, present your solution, and help them limit their liability. NFSI â€" Nation Floor Safety Institute understands the problem and can help. They have been a great resource for me. Contact them at www.nfsi.com. I can be reach at
817-283-0454 Bob Beck
Master Distributor For -
Turbolava USA.
Put your mop and bucket away
You cannot mop a floor clean