Aluminum Diamond Plate Not Slip Resistant on Steps

According to an article entitled “Preventing Driver Slips and Falls” by the National Association of Wholesaler – Distributors, “Extruded safety steps do provide an excellent non-slip surface, but wet or oily ‘diamond plate’ can be almost as slippery as a flat surface.” Even though diamond plate flooring, such as aluminum diamond plate, contains a pattern of raised diamonds that act as a slip resistant tread to prevent slip and fall injuries, it does not provide the same slip resistant coverage as coated non slip surfaces.

FreePatentsOnline.com tested the methods of producing a slip-resistant substrate by depositing raised, bead-like configurations of a compatible material at select locations. Through their discovery, they determined that “rolled materials, such as diamond plate, do not increase the frictional forces substantially because of the large size of the features that are rolled onto the material.” As a result, it appears that utilizing bare aluminum diamond plate does not provide the same slip resistant qualities as aluminum plate.  Slip resistant aluminum plate provides a coefficient of friction that is greater than or equal to 0.98 and diamond plate mat only provides a coefficient of friction of 0.68.

When utilizing aluminum plate in applications such as plate stair treads, platforms and trench covers, use slip resistant aluminum plate instead of bare diamond plate to ensure your employees the safety and security needed in harsh environments that contain elements such as grease or oil.

National Association of Wholesaler – Distributors. “Preventing Driver Slips and Falls – NAW News.” http://www.naw.org/nawnews/news_article.php?articleid=502

FreePatentsOnline.com. “Method of producing a slip-resistant substrate by depositing raised, bead-like configurations of a compatible material at select locations theron, and a substrate including same.” http://www.freepatentsonline.com/5368947.html

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