Forensic Considerations Regarding Traction and Tribometry of Bathing Surfaces

Abstract

In 1974, the federal Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) funded a study of injury patterns involving bathing surfaces. The study found the majority of injuries were due to slips and falls. The data from the CPSC-driven tribometry research was used to develop (with the cooperation of bathing surface manufacturers) a standardized test specification and minimum traction threshold. The standard that resulted in 1979, ASTM F462, was a positive step forward — but over 36 years the shortcomings of this long-obsolete standard have become increasingly evident. Nevertheless, F462 remains the sole codified standard for bathing surface traction in the United States. This paper will discuss the limitations of F462, the use (and misuse) of the standard in claims resolution and litigation, the efforts to modernize F462, and some considerations for investigating bathing surface incidents.