36 CFR Parts 1190 and 1191 ADA and ABA Accessibility Guidelines - Preamble (Discussion of Comments and Changes)

302 Floor or Ground Surfaces

Section 302 requires floor or ground surfaces to be stable, firm, and slip resistant and provides specifications for carpets and surface openings.

Comment. Slip-resistance is based on the frictional force necessary to keep a shoe heel or crutch tip from slipping on a walking surface under conditions likely to be found on the surface. The Board was urged to reference specifications and testing protocols for slip resistance, in particular those developed by Voices of Safety International.

Response. Historically, the Board has not specified a particular level of slip resistance since it can be measured in different ways. The assessed level (or static coefficient of friction) varies according to the measuring method used. It is the Board’s understanding that various industries each employ different testing methods and that there is no universally adopted or specified test protocol. The final rule does not include any technical specifications or testing methods for slip resistance as recommended by comments. The Board has chosen not to reference specifications that have not been vetted by the model codes community or developed through established industry procedures governing the adoption of consensus standards and specified test methods. The final rule includes exceptions developed in a separate rule making on recreation facilities that exempts animal containment areas and areas of sports activity from the requirements for floor or ground surfaces.