Safety commission looking to mop up slippery floors
The Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) is considering new regulations to prevent elderly people from falling on slippery floors.
Floor manufacturers could be required to label the level of slip resistance in their products. This comes in response to a petition from safety advocates.
The slip-resistance labels would help elderly people purchase floors that help them avoid falling, the safety advocates argue.
The National Floor Safety Institute, which filed the petition, compared it to nutritional labels that provide consumers with information about what they are eating so they can “make more informed decisions.”
The petitioner notes that more than 23,000 elderly people fell and died in 2014.
Currently, floor manufacturers are not required to list the level of slip resistance in floors, according to safety advocates.
The slip resistance labels would follow the American National Standards Institute standard and provide a graphic showing where certain flooring products fall on the traction scale.
The public has 60 days to comment.
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