A slippery floor can kill you, and America still cannot agree on the best way to measure one. That sentence should make every building owner, regulator, judge, and policymaker uncomfortable. It certainly makes me uncomfortable.
We know how many people are falling. We know who is most vulnerable. We know that the science of measuring slip resistance exists.
Yet the United States continues to operate amid a maze of competing test methods, numerical thresholds, and industry practices that can leave ordinary people wondering whether the floor beneath their feet has actually been assessed for safety. The human cost is enormous. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports that more than 43,000 Americans aged 65 and older died from falls in 2024, while emergency departments recorded about 4.5 million fall-related visits among older adults.
More than one in four older adults reports falling each year. Globally, the World Health Organization estimates that 684,000 people die from falls annually and 37.3 million falls require medical attention. Picture a grandmother who has already lost some strength and balance with age.
She steps into a shower and sees polished tile beneath her feet. She reaches for the wall. She remembers the neighbor who fractured a hip.
Suddenly, something as ordinary as taking a shower becomes a calculation. Nobody should have to make that calculation. The frightening part is how preventable much of this can be.
Extract — continue reading at the source.
