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Traumatic injuries due to unintentional slips and falls are prevalent in healthcare and nursing facilities. According to reports, around 26% of all the nonfatal slips, trips, and falls cases were observed in the nursing care facilities. Slipping generally occurs due to a sudden reduction in the friction at footwear-floor junction, presence of contaminants during walking, quality of flooring, etc. While several studies have conducted pilot tests to understand the slip risk of different types of footwear, specialized footwear worn by nurses have not been studied till date. In this work, 50 shoe designs worn by nurses were selected to test their traction performances. A biofidelic and portable slip testing device was employed to test the friction of footwear over common locations in a hospital i.e., ward corridor, ICU entry, and nurse station. Through rigorous tests, shoe replacement threshold of 6 months has been identified, which could significantly reduce these accidents. Softer shoes having shore hardness less than 53 A showed high traction over dry floorings (R2 = 0.86). Furthermore, a novel method to estimate the worn region size was employed. The worn-out region sizes of radius more than 5 mm showed drastic reduction in the footwear traction performance across slippery floorings. The novel findings from this study are anticipated to guide the hospital management and nurses in selecting appropriate footwear, determining replacement thresholds, and selecting safer floorings for different slipping scenarios to reduce fatal and non-fatal slipping cases related to hospital staff and nurses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The traction performance of the footwear deteriorates due to outsole wear which further increases the risk of slip and fall related accidents. To date, several studies have tested footwear tractions across several slippery conditions but only a few studies have attempted to assess their performance considering worn shoes. In this work, nine outsoles, with systematically modified tread geometries, were investigated, to study the effects of tread patterns in new and worn conditions on traction, across common slippery conditions. The outsoles were progressively worn in three wear cycles. Outsoles with increased worn regions generated lower friction and higher fluid pressures, indicating increased slipping risks. Also, diversion of fluid flow due to large worn regions produced high fluid accumulations at other locations over the outsoles. The methods and results are anticipated to help footwear manufacturers with the strategic design of tread patterns that can provide improved friction even when completely worn. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Slip and fall related injuries are common in workplaces and sufficient shoe-floor friction is required to prevent such incidents. Besides the presence of slippery contaminants, shoe wearing over time is one of the key factors which may lead to significant reduction in shoe-floor friction. While footwear-based slip testing has been conducted widely across floorings and contaminants, limited studies have focused on the effect of worn shoes on slipping. In this work, twelve formal shoes from common brands were tested through modelling of their outsoles in normal and different degrees of progressively worn conditions. Mechanical slip testing was conducted to quantify the available coefficient of friction (ACOF) of the outsole models across dry and two common contaminant conditions (i.e., floor or surface cleaner, and canola oil), and on three commonly available floorings. The effect of flooring, contaminant, and worn area, on the ACOF were characterized extensively. Progressively worn outsoles were found to lead to reduction in ACOF in the range of 28-97%. Outsoles having tread channels oriented at different angles with respect to the direction of footwear motion, were found to generate higher ACOF, than ones with horizontal tread patterns. Outsoles which had larger treads but with lesser intervals (i.e., large tread surface area) showed lower ACOF values. These outsoles experienced less reduction in the ACOF in the following cycles of wear. For safety against slips, outcomes from this work are expected to provide essential information for buying or replacing the formal shoes in its new or worn condition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Accidental injuries due to slips and falls are considered serious threats to public safety. Sufficient friction at the footwear and flooring interface is essential to reduce slip-related risks. The presence of slippery fluidic contaminants, such as water, further reduces friction and increases the risks of slip-related accidents drastically. While the effect of floorings and contaminants on footwear traction has been measured extensively across a variety of footwear designs, only a few studies have explored the science of the outsole design and its role in providing sufficient traction. In this work, the tread design of a commonly encountered outsole pattern, i.e., with vertically oriented tread channels, was parametrically altered across its width and gap. Based on the impressions of an original footwear design, nine outsoles were fabricated. The induced fluid pressures, mass flow rates, and traction were quantified by using a computational fluid dynamics (CFD) framework and through slip testing experiments. Outsoles that had wide treads with small gaps decreased the overall slipping risk on dry floorings. As compared to the tread area, tread gaps were found to be a dominating parameter in providing adequate shoe–floor traction in wet slipping conditions. The methods, including the outcomes presented in this work, are anticipated to advance the understanding of the science behind footwear friction and help footwear manufacturers optimize outsole designs to reduce slip and fall risks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Slips and falls are among the most serious public safety hazards. Adequate friction at the shoe–floor contact is necessary to reduce these risks. In the presence of slippery fluids such as water or oil, the footwear outsole is crucial for ensuring appropriate shoe–floor traction. While the influence of flooring and contaminants on footwear traction has been extensively studied across several outsole surfaces, limited studies have investigated the science of outsole design and how it affects footwear traction performance. In this work, the tread channels of a commonly found outsole pattern, i.e., horizontally oriented treads, was varied parametrically across the widths (i.e., 2, 4, 6 mm) and gaps (i.e., 2, 3, 4 mm). Nine outsole designs were developed and their traction, fluid pressures, and fluid flow rates during slipping were estimated using a mechanical slip testing and a CFD-based computational framework. Outsoles which had wider tread (i.e., 6 mm) surfaces showed increased slip risks on wet flooring. Outsoles with large gaps (i.e., 4 mm) exhibited increased traction performance when slipped on wet flooring (R2 = 0.86). These novel results are anticipated to provide valuable insights into the science of footwear traction and provide important guidelines for the footwear manufacturers to optimize outsole surface design to reduce the risk of slips and falls. In addition to this, the presented CFD-based computational framework could help develop better outsole designs to further solve this problem. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Traumatic injuries caused due to slipping and falling are prevalent in India and across the globe. These injuries not only hamper quality of life but are also responsible for huge economic and compensation burdens. Unintentional slips usually occur due to inadequate traction between the shoe and floor. Due to the economic conditions in low and middle-income countries, the public tends to buy low-cost footwear as an alternative to costly slip-resistant shoes. In this study, ten high-selling formal shoes under $25 were considered. These shoes were tested on three commonly available dry floorings and across contaminated common floor surfaces (i.e., water and floor cleaners). The traction performance of the shoes was quantified by using a biofidelic slip tester. The majority of formal shoes were not found to produce the slip-resistant performance across common slippery surfaces. Shoes with softer outsoles exhibited increased slip-resistant performance (R2 = 0.91). Shoe outsoles with less-to-no treads at the heel region showed poor traction performance as compared to other shoes. The apparent contact area was found as an important metric influencing the slip risks in dry and wet slipping conditions (R2 = 0.88). This research is anticipated to help the public and footwear manufacturers select safer shoes to reduce slip-and-fall incidents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Slippery flooring often leads to unintentional slips and falls, which results in traumatic injuries. To reduce slipping risks, adequate traction at the shoe and flooring contact is essential. In addition, viscous slippery contaminants like water or oil reduce a floor's traction performance and increase slipping hazards. In this work, the effect of commonly available protective floor coatings on the traction performance of safety-labelled shoes was extensively studied. The study included three floor coatings, namely acid-based etchant coating, epoxy floor paint, and polyurethane, which were tested across five safety shoes. The coated floorings were tested using a robotic slip-testing device in dry and in the presence of water and machine oil—as separate contaminants. The application of floor coatings produced varying surface roughness for the flooring. Significant traction was generated by the etchant coating for the dry flooring, epoxy coating for the wet flooring, and polyurethane coating for all flooring conditions. A comparison of uncoated and coated floorings showed a high effectiveness of generating traction with epoxy coating on wet flooring and polyurethane coating on both wet and oily conditions. The study results are novel and are anticipated to provide valuable guidelines for the selection of slip-resistant coatings for different slippery floorings, and to reduce risks related to slips and falls. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Slips and falls are among the major concerns for public safety. Slipping risks can be reduced by ensuring adequate traction at the shoe-floor interface. The outsole design of footwear is a critical factor to maintain sufficient shoe-floor traction in the presence of slippery contaminants such as water or oil. While the role of floorings and contaminants on footwear traction has been studied widely, limited works have investigated the role of footwear outsole geometry and tread patterns on shoe-floor traction. In this work, eight footwear outsole designs and their traction performance were tested on a common flooring with water contamination, through the development of a novel fluid–structure interaction based computational framework. Induced fluid pressure, mass flow rates, and contact areas were quantified across the outsole patterns, and their effect on footwear friction was investigated. The study results were validated using mechanical slip testing experiments. The results indicated that the outsoles which had horizontal treads or untreaded heel regions can lead to drastic reduction of footwear friction. Also, contact area alone was quantified to be a poor choice in estimating the traction performance of footwear on water contaminated floorings. Such novel study results have not been reported to date, and are anticipated to provide important guidelines to footwear manufacturers to evaluate and optimize footwear tread parameters which would help in reducing the risk of slips. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]