Without a standard for your workplace, employees must determine the appropriate slip resistant shoe for their work environment - this is virtually an impossible task for the average employee. Many shoes are labeled as “slip resistant,” but are often not effective enough for chefs, nurses, and other professionals that are exposed to hazardous floors. The only way to make an informed purchasing decision about which slip resistant shoes are right is to compare your potential work shoes against a single slip resistance standard.
Since people rarely slip and fall on clean, dry surfaces, the slip resistance testing needs to take place under less than optimal conditions, generally a wet surface. Currently, there are only two testing devices that meet ASTM F-13 standards for "wet testing": the portable inclineable articulated strut tribometer (PIAST) aka the Brungraber Mark II Test, and the Variable Incidence Tribometer (VIT) aka English XL. The results of these measure the coefficient of friction (COF), which is a measurement of an item’s ability to generate friction, thereby reducing slippage.
Since SR Max has found the Mark II test to be a widely accepted slip resistance standard, this is the slip resistance test we have chosen to measure all of our footwear by. The Brungraber Mark II utilizes a three-inch-square test foot attached to an articulated strut that in turn connects to an inclined aluminum support. The support can range in angle from vertical to an angle slightly more than 45 degrees from vertical. Attached to the top of the inclined support is a 10-lb. cast-iron weight that provides the force with which the test foot strikes the test surface. The device may be either trigger or manually actuated. The slip resistant ratings will range from 0.0 (Very Poor) to 1.0 (Extremely Slip Resistant).
SR Max requires all suppliers to submit independent test results for all shoes we offer. Each style must be independently tested at a COF of .40 or greater using the Brungraber Mark II "hi soil" oily/wet test on red quarry tile. As a company, we choose to enforce this slip resistance testing policy so that we can be confident in providing high quality safety shoes that our customers can count on.
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