Summer 1998

Summer 1998

Status of the ANSI A1264.2 Standard - "Provision of slip resistance on walking/working surfaces"

The Standard was put out for public comment on January 17, 1997. A 60-day public comment period was noticed according to ANSI protocol. The recommendations put forth in the Standard by the committee were made with the ultimate intent to reduce the occurrence of falls and resulting injuries in the workplace. The Standard is written with the intent of being fair to the floor industry as well as workers. The committee members are cognizant of the obvious need for a guideline that all of us can live with and live by. Over the past several years many organizations have expressed their support for some kind of guideline that will assist the safety community, and building code organizations.

In a letter written by Kenneth Schoonover, P.E., Vice President, Codes and Standards BOCA International to Dr. Geoffrey Frohnsdorff, Chief, Building Materials Division, at the National Institute of Standards and Technology, in Nov. 1996, Mr. Schoonover said there was "a distinct lack of uniformity . . on test methods, pass/fail criteria and performance measures". He also indicated that there is "an absolute need to achieve all three of the workshop objectives" of the NIST Workshop on the Evolution of Slip-Resistance Standards (NIST, Nov. 1996). Something we already knew but reiterated by a representative of a world recognized model building code organization.

The A1264.2 Standard is an additional step in a continuum of progress toward making work environments safer, and one which can easily be embraced by all. The A1264.2 sub-committee received over 20 comments from various parties and organizations. The deadline for comments was extended for an additional time period at the request of one organization. Comments ranged from, accusations that the Standard was not comprehensive enough, to - it is much too stringent.

The subcommittee then responded to each and every commentor and each of the issues raised in their comments. The responses to the comments were sent August 15, 1997.

The A1264.2 subcommittee has gone through one formal appeal of the standard. The appeal was filed by one of those who believe the Standard is not stringent enough. The appellant demanded that the A1264.2 subcommittee cease and desist all activities. No alternate language or editorial suggestions were made, just the demand. Of course the committee outright rejected the demand as did the appeal panel after it had heard the appellant's argument(s).

Members of the flooring industry also expressed concern over the standard. The A1264.2 sub-committee agreed to meet in an informal appeal to discuss their perspective and concerns. I am very happy to report that although we have not agreed to anything, there is a willingness to compromise and discuss alternative language and/or concessions in an attempt to continue with this effort.

The Standard is currently being revised as a result of some of the valuable insights offered by various reviewers. Due to the substantial changes made in the text of the Standard, it will again be balloted by the subcommittee and full A1264 committee. If it passes, the Standard will then be put out for public review and comment again. Once all of those comments are dealt with and assuming that no substantial changes have been made it will be submitted to the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) Board of Standards Review (BSR) for consideration.

We are very optimistic about this pioneer document, as it will reduce the number of injuries and fatalities from falls. The committee would appreciate any words of support by writing Tim Fisher at ASSE. Keep checking back for further developments.