Abstract
Slip and fall accidents are widespread in workplaces and on walkways. Slipping is generally initiated by a sudden change in the flooring properties or due to a low available traction at the shoe–floor interface. To measure shoe-floor traction, mechanical slip and fall risk estimation devices are typically employed. However, to date, such existing devices are lab-based, bulky, and are unable to simulate realistic slip biomechanics and measure whole footwear traction in realistic contaminated floorings at the same time. Moreover, these devices are expensive and not available in low- or lower-middle-income countries with limited awareness regarding slip testing. To overcome these challenges, in this work, a biofidelic, portable, and low-cost slip testing device was developed. A strategic three-part subassembly was designed for the application of normal load, slipping speed, and heel strike angle for its modularity. The developed slip tester was extensively tested and validated for its performance using 10 formal footwears and two floorings, under dry and wet conditions. The results indicated that the slip tester was accurate, repeatable, and reliable in differentiating traction measurements across varying combinations of shoes, contaminants, and floorings. The instrumentation performance of the slip tester was found to also capture the differences between different shoe tread patterns in the presence of fluid films. The developed device is anticipated to significantly impact the clinical, industrial, and commercial performance testing of footwear traction in realistic slippery flooring conditions, especially in the low- or middle-income countries.
Subject
General Health Professions
Reference36 articles.
1. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (2022, April 13). Number of Nonfatal Occupational Injuries and Illnesses Involving Days Away from Work by Industry and Selected Events or Exposures Leading to Injury or Illness, Private Industry, Available online: https://www.cdc.gov/niosh/topics/violence/fastfacts.html.
2. Nonfatal occupational injuries from slips, trips, and falls among older workers treated in hospital emergency departments, United States 1998;Layne;Am. J. Ind. Med.,2004
3. Identification of critical traction values for maximum athletic performance;Luo;Footwear Sci.,2011
4. Circumstances and consequences of falls in independent community-dwelling older adults;Berg;Age Ageing,1997
5. Evaluation of a comprehensive slip, trip and fall prevention programme for hospital employees;Bell;Ergonomics,2009
Cited by
21 articles.
订阅此论文施引文献
订阅此论文施引文献,注册后可以免费订阅5篇论文的施引文献,订阅后可以查看论文全部施引文献