New Skudo Mat Safest Ever

Skudo has always focussed on being completely performance driven, and in the development of the new Mat systems, slip resistance was a top priority. On some projects safety is actually more important than protection so Skudo wanted to ensure the new range of products had the highest performance so as to create the safest possible working environment for all concerned.

Both the MT and the HT Mats were tested for slip resistance in both the wet and dry using internationally recognised test methods. These test methods produce a classification and depending on that classification will depend on the level of slip resistance (or safety) the product provides.

As detailed below Skudo needed to secure a V rating in order to receive the highest possible rating for Wet Slip resistance. That rating needed to secure a figure above the pendulum mean of 54. Both the MT and the HT surpassed that figure significantly recording and incredibly high 59 and 60 respectively. Equally for the Dry Slip Resistance, the Skudo Mats needed to receive a dynamic coefficient of friction mean equal to or higher than 0.40. Skudo Mats registered an incredible 0.80 and 0.85 respectively giving them a safety rating double that of the highest rated figure.


THE RESULTS:

Wet Pendulum test - MT                                               mean 599 or V Classification

Wet Pendulum test - HT                                                mean 600 or V Classification

 

Dry Floor Friction test - MT                                         mean 0.800 or F Classification

Dry Floor Friction test - HT                                        mean 0.8555 or F Classification

 

ABOUT THE TESTS:

Skudo commissioned two main tests from ATTAR – a NATA Accredited facility, The Wet Pendulum Slip Resistance Test, and the Dry Floor Friction Slip Resistance Test. The wet pendulum slip resistance test (AS/NZS 4586 Appendix A) is generally conducted using a Wessex or Munro - Stanley London Pendulum Friction Tester. This pendulum device is portable and consists of a weighted foot with a test slider that swings down and slides across the surface wetted with water. The weighted foot comprises a spring-loaded rubber test slider that exerts a prescribed force over the specimen as it slides across the surface. The results of expressed as a British Pendulum Number (BPN) and classified according to AS/NZS 4586 as shown in the table below:

 

Pendulum Mean BPN		AS/NZS 4586 Classification	AS/NZS 4663 Notional* contribution of the floor surface to the risk of slipping when wet
Four S	TRL
> 54	> 44	V	Very Low
45-54	40-44	W	Low
35-44	n/a	X	Moderate
25-34	n/a	Y	High
< 25	n/a	Z	Very High

The dry floor friction slip resistance slip test (AS/NZS 4586 Appendix B) uses a battery operated machine commonly referred to as the "dry FFT" a or "Tortus". The dry FFT measures the force opposing the motion of a 9 mm diameter test slider of Four S rubber as it moves across the surfaces at a constant speed of 1m/min. The average of two measurements of 800 mm is taken and the results are expressed as Coefficient of Friction (CoF). The coefficient of friction is a ratio of the horizontal and vertical forces and the slip resistance test results are classified as follows: 

 

Floor friction tester mean value	AS/NZS 4586 Classification	AS/NZS 4663 Notional* contribution of the floor surface to the risk of slipping when dry
= 0.40	F	Moderate to very low
< 0.40	G	High to very high