Occupational Injury Prevention
Postural Control & Fall Prevention
Postural Control & Fall Prevention
Coefficient of Friction (COF) of SR Max Shoes and Other Common Work Shoes
The use of shoes marketed as slip-resistant (SR) has emerged as an effective counter-measure for preventing slips. However, significant gaps in the literature exist regarding the heterogeneity of available coefficient of friction (ACOF) across shoes marketed as SR and their performance relative to non-slip-resistant (NSR) shoes. Furthermore, gaps in the literature exist regarding the tread features that predict the ACOF of SR shoes and how shoe performance generalizes across flooring and contaminants. The purpose of this study was to examine differences in ACOF across SR shoes and of SR shoes relative to NSR shoes; determine the outsole characteristics that predict ACOF among SR shoes; quantify correlations of shoe performance across different floor and contaminant conditions; and quantify differences in slipping rates of human subjects across SR shoes. Short-term hardness, long-term hardness, treaded heel width and shoe-roughness were quantified along with the rate of slipping. The results of this study can be used to inform future shoe designs and testing methods.
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