Required Coefficient of Friction During Level Walking Is Predictive of Slipping

Details

• Personal Author:
  Albert DL ; Beschorner KE ; Redfern MS
• Description:
  The required coefficient of friction (RCOF) is frequently reported in the literature as an indicator of slip propensity. This study aimed to further develop slip prediction models based on RCOF by examining slips under moderately slippery conditions where the RCOF was approximately equal to the available coefficient of friction. Baseline RCOFs were found for normal walking trials and then an unexpected slip was introduced with a moderately slippery boot-floor contaminant combination for thirty-one subjects. Slip outcomes (i.e., whether a subject experienced a slip) were assessed based on the displacement of a marker placed on the heel. A logistic regression analysis was used to model the impact of RCOF on slipping. Results showed that subjects who walked with a greater RCOF were found to have a higher probability of slipping. The predicted probability of a slip across the RCOF ranged from 3% to 95% and an increase of 0.01 in RCOF was associated with a slipping odds ratio of 1.7. Thus, modest differences in RCOF can have a dramatic impact on slip propensity. This study shows that RCOF can be a sensitive and valid predictor of slipping in realistic frictional environments. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Accidental Falls Accidents Biomechanical Phenomena Occupational Health Occupational Injuries Safety
• Keywords:
  Author Keywords: Slip And Fall Accidents Biomechanics Fluids Footwear Gait Biomechanics Occupational Accidents Required Coefficient Of Friction Slips, Trips, And Falls STF Walking Surfaces
• ISSN:
  0966-6362
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  Grant
• Genre:
  Journal Article
• Place as Subject:
  OSHA Region 3 ; Pennsylvania
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Pages in Document:
  256-260
• Volume:
  48
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20055643
• Citation:
  Gait Posture 2016 Jul; 48:256-260
• Contact Point Address:
  Kurt E. Beschorner, Department of Bioengineering, University of Pittsburgh, Benedum Engineering Hall #302, 3700 O'hara St., Pittsburgh, PA 15261, United States
• Email:
  beschorn@pitt.edu
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2016
• Performing Organization:
  University of Pittsburgh at Pittsburgh
• Peer Reviewed:
  True
• Start Date:
  20100801
• Source Full Name:
  Gait and Posture
• End Date:
  20140731
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:0f0aa1876e0db315f9c7da17ac2547215601177b7365328b78138c9e58ad337da1e4f1302f68ba7cf69d168eea7b2769545a72955bfc5e552ac7d0dfe940d0e3
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/213442/cdc_213442_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 787.20 KB ]