The Importance of Your Hotel Walkways Meeting NFSI Standards

According to the National Floor Safety Institute (NFSI), floors and flooring materials contribute to more than two million fall injuries each year and are the leading cause of worker’s compensation claims. Keeping to NFSI standards when constructing and maintaining your hotel walkways can help ensure the safety of your staff and guests and reduce slips and falls. 

Safe Step applies Paint-Free Anti-Slip Treatments without disruption to your guests or bookings. In addition, they have certified NFSI auditors that can provide walkway auditing to assess the risks and provide a systematic set of recommendations for reducing those risks. Give us a quick call today to find out more about how we can help improve the safety of your hotels. 

worker falling on a wet floor obviously not meeting NFSI standards

What Is NFSI?

NFSI was founded in 1997 as a not-for-profit organization. Its mission is “to aid in the prevention of slips, trips, and falls through education, research and standards development.” 

They created the NFSI B101 slip, trip, and fall prevention standards. In addition, they provide training as well as product and auditor certification.

The purpose of auditor certification is to educate individuals on the proper techniques of determining traction based on measurements and observations as outlined in the above standards.

Why NFSI Audit Walkway Surfaces?

Walkway surfaces should be audited by an NFSI certified auditor when they are initially laid and per your auditor’s instructions. The severity of fall injuries for your staff and guests can range from bruises to strains to fractured bones to head injuries and death. 

Employees slipping on slick floors account for 85% of worker’s compensation claims and totals approximately $70 billion annually in associated compensation and medical costs.

As the population ages, so may the average age of your guest. With one in every three persons over the age of 65 in the US experiencing a fall each year, it is a statistic you need to be aware of and working to reduce.

various and different floor materials stacked up

Types of Walkway Surfaces Tested

Slips and falls can occur on all surfaces; however, hard-surface floor materials are the most commonly tested. NFSI standards apply to most common hard floors such as wood laminates, ceramic tile, and coated walkways. Typical testing does not include surfaces such as polished marble or carpeted areas. 

Test Methods

The mechanics of a dry surface changes once it becomes wet, so it is important to test dry and wet walkway surfaces using NFSI standards. 

Per NFSI standards, you initially need to test dry walkway surfaces for slip resistance. This initial test measures the Dry Dynamic Coefficient of Friction (DCOF). Testing then continues on varying damp to wet surfaces to determine the different levels of traction and evaluate the slip and fall risks. 

The purpose of varying the dampness levels is to simulate how the floors perform during typical everyday circumstances. The simulations would include situations such as the floor’s condition after a rain, after mopping, or after a spill. You can perform these tests in a laboratory or your hotel. These tests calculate traction ranges by measuring the wet static coefficient of friction (SCOF). 

This systematic audit and testing results in an auditor’s report with documented measurements and suggested risk deterrents, including instructions on the proper use of signage. 

hotel guest pulling a suitcase walking on a floor meeting NFSI standards

Follow NFSI Standards and Keep Your Guests and Staff Safe

We service hotels nationwide and are the preferred vendor for Hilton, IHG, and Marriott. We adhere to your hotel’s brand standards while meeting and exceeding the standards for appearance, durability, and safety. Call Safe Step today for more information on anti-slip treatments as well as NFSI certified audits of existing or newly treated surfaces.