Slip & Fall Accidents in the Home: Non-Slip / Anti-Slip Floor Surfaces

Slip & Fall accidents are one of the main causes of injury in the home. Children and the elderly are the most likely to suffer from slip and fall injuries and the consequences can be disastrous. Statistics show that, in economic terms, falls cost the Australian society more than any other type of injury. There is just no justifiable reason for having floors in the home that are not non-slip.

Other costs to Australians who are injured through slip and fall injuries, such as pain and suffering, are impossible to measure. A recent study found that of those elderly people who are admitted to hospital after a fall, only 50% will survive for more than one year. The effects on the elderly are extreme and falls are the leading cause of death in the elderly. Having slip resistant floors in the home offers invaluable protection to family members and friends from the risks of slip and fall accidents and the injuries associated with these accidents.

Safe mobility requires a firm, stable and non-slip surface in order to minimise the risk of falling. Floors that do not have sufficient anti-slip qualities impact on a persons ability to transport themselves independently and safely. Safe mobility requires a firm, stable and slip resistant surface to minimise the risk of falling.

Slip resistance is the resistance that the floor surfaces offers the shoe, sole, foot or walking aid tip when it comes in contact with the floor surface. Falls are common on surfaces which are not non-slip whereas a floor surface that provides adequate slip resistance will not allow the foot to slip and helps to prevent falls.

Protecting your family from slip and fall accidents does not necessitate pulling up all your floor surfaces and replace them with a slip resistant surfaces. Floor safety experts can provide anti-slip treatments that will increase the grip (or slip resistance) of your floor surfaces without changing the appearance. The treatment actually creates an invisible tread pattern in the floor surface helping to keep your family and friends safe from the risks of slip and fall injuries.