Latest Walkway Safety Standard Announced: ANSI/NFSI B101.6-2012

The American National Standards Institute (ANSI) B101 Committee on Slip, Trip and Fall Prevention has released the latest in its line of walkway safety standards. The ANSI/NFSI B101.6-2012 Standard Guide For Commercial Entrance Matting In Reducing Slips, Trips And Falls provides criteria for the selection, installation, inspection, care, and maintenance of entrance mats and runners in commercial facilities in reducing slips, trips, and falls and is directed to eliminating slip, trip, and fall hazards such as soil, moisture, contaminants, and edge treatments as well as the improper use of floor mats and runners.

Robert J. Moran, chairman of the ANSI B101.6 sub-committee and Chairman and CEO of Ludlow composites, a manufacturer of commercial floor matting states: “This standard not only covers where and how mats should be deployed, but it also identifies the hazards associated with improper mat placement and use. We also believe that the standard will soon be adopted by the insurance industry and will serve as an important tool in preventing their insureds’ growing mat related trip-and-fall problem.”

The NFSI estimates that 55% of all slip, trip, and fall accidents are the result of an unsafe walking surface. Russell Kendzior, founder and president of the NFSI states, “although entranceway matting can play a significant role in preventing accidental slips by removing moisture from pedestrian footwear, they often contribute to trips and falls when buckled, curled, or flipped over. As the number of floor mat related trip-and-fall lawsuits continues to rise, we believe this ground breaking new standard provides a new standard of effective care in the proper use, maintenance, and inspection of entranceway floor matting.”


1 COMMENT

  1. As I was walking through a door at the entrance to a Municipal Building, my right foot went under the entrance way floor mat causing me to trip and fall. As a result of this fall, I developed a severe case of cellulitis and spent 15 days in the hospital with a bill totaling over $100,000.00 While in the hospital, I underwent knee surgery to remove two hematoma’s incurred as a result of the fall.
    A co-worker slipped and fell at the entrance to a County Building that uses the same floor mat that I tripped on. I believe that these mats should be made so that it is virtually impossible to have your foot go under the floor mat causing a trip and fall accident.

Comments are closed.