1、raising standards worldwideNO COPYING WITHOUT BSI PERMISSION EXCEPT AS PERMITTED BY COPYRIGHT LAWBSI Standards PublicationBS 8445:2012Bath and shower mats Testing Assessment of slipresistance propertiesPublishing and copyright informationThe BSI copyright notice displayed in this document indicates
2、when the documentwas last issued. The British Standards Institution 2012Published by BSI Standards Limited 2012ISBN 978 0 580 55423 0ICS 91.140.70; 97.180The following BSI references relate to the work on this standard:Committee reference PRI/60Draft for comment 05/30134294 DCPublication historyFirs
3、t published March 2012Amendments issued since publicationDate Text affectedBS 8445:2012 BRITISH STANDARDContentsForeword ii1 Scope 12 Normative references 13 Terms and definitions 14 General requirements 25 Classification according to performance 26 Test principle 37 Test operators 38 Test apparatus
4、 39 Test solution 410 Standard surface 411 Test specimen conditioning, examination and preparation 412 Verification of standard surface 413 Testing of the mat 514 Product marking 615 Informative labelling 616 Packaging 717 Test report 7AnnexesAnnex A (informative) Foot motions 8Annex B (informative)
5、 Dynamic coefficient of friction based on a low incidentrisk 8Bibliography 9List of figuresFigure A.1 Foot motion walking forwards 8Figure A.2 Foot motion walking backwards 8List of tablesTable 1 Performance level of bath/shower mat slip potential 2Summary of pagesThis document comprises a front cov
6、er, an inside front cover, pages i to ii,pages 1 to 10, an inside back cover and a back cover.BRITISH STANDARD BS 8445:2012 The British Standards Institution 2012 iForewordPublishing informationThis British Standards is published by BSI Standards Limited, under licence fromThe British Standards Inst
7、itution, and came into effect on 31 March 2012. It wasprepared by Technical Committee PRI/60, Resilient floor coverings. A list oforganizations represented on this committee can be obtained on request to itssecretary.Information about this documentThe British Standard has been developed to set minim
8、um performance standardsfor bath and shower mats to help reduce the number of slip related instances. Itdoes this by specifying testing on an inclinable ramp by at least two operatorswalking forwards and backwards over a mat.Mats that achieve the performance levels specified by this standard offer a
9、greater degree of protection against the potential to slip than a standard bathor shower tray without the mat in place.This British Standard assumes that a mat has greater slip resistance propertiesthan a stand-alone bath or shower tray surface (i.e. not fitted with a mat).Presentational conventions
10、The provisions of this standard are presented in roman (i.e. upright) type. Itsrequirements are expressed in sentences in which the principal auxiliary verb is“shall”.Commentary, explanation and general informative material is presented insmaller italic type, and does not constitute a normative elem
11、ent.Contractual and legal considerationsThis publication does not purport to include all the necessary provisions of acontract. Users are responsible for its correct application.Compliance with a British Standard cannot confer immunity from legalobligations.BRITISH STANDARDBS 8445:2012ii The British
12、 Standards Institution 20121 ScopeThis British Standard specifies the classification (according to slip characteristics),test methods, marking and instructions for bath and shower mats intended foruse inside bath or shower trays during bathing or showering.It is applicable to bath and shower mats us
13、ed in the domestic, self-catering andhotel environment, where the surfaces of the baths or shower trays are madefrom standard construction materials including acrylic, enamel and porcelain.The use of bath and shower mats in hospitals and care home environments isoutside the scope of this standard.Th
14、e British Standard is applicable to mats that may or may not incorporatesuction cups in their bases. The methods of assessment specified are designed totest two modes of slip failure, i.e. foot slippage and mat slippage, with failureoccurring irrespective of the mat material, design and overall cons
15、truction.The mats covered by this British Standard are not designed for use on profiledtextured surfaces. The standard also covers mats containing additional features(e.g. foot massagers, pillows).Very small padded surfaces that do not meet the dimensional requirementsof 5.1, e.g. splats, are not co
16、nsidered to be mats and are therefore outside thescope of this standard.2 Normative referencesThe following documents, in whole or in part, are normatively referenced in thisdocument and are indispensable for its application. For dated references, onlythe edition cited applies. For undated reference
17、s, the latest edition of thereferenced document (including any amendments) applies.BS EN 263, Sanitary appliances Crosslinked cast acrylic sheets for baths andshower trays for domestic purposesBS EN 360, Personal protective equipment against falls from a height Retractable type fall arrestersBS EN 3
18、61, Personal protective equipment against falls from a height Full bodyharnessesBS EN ISO 4287, Geometrical and product specification (GPS) Surface texture:Profile method Terms, definitions and surface texture parameters3 Terms and definitions3.1 angle of insecurityangle at which the slip occurs or
19、the operator feels unsafe3.2 comfort matmat that has moderate slip potential, with an angle of insecurity greater than14 or the angle of insecurity for the acrylic sheet, whichever is thegreater, and 193.3 dynamic coefficient of friction (COF)ratio of the frictional force divided by the normal force
20、3.4 failure modepoint at which the operator slips on the mat surface (foot slippage) or the matslips on the standard base surface (mat slippage)BRITISH STANDARD BS 8445:2012 The British Standards Institution 2012 13.5 frictional forceforce parallel to the surface and against the direction of movemen
21、t arisingwhen the foot slides over the mat or the mat slides over the acrylic surface3.6 normal forceforce applied to the foot, perpendicular (90) to the surface3.7 sliploss of traction causing the user or test operator to lose his/her footing3.8 slip resistanceability of a surface to provide tracti
22、on and to counteract slipping3.9 standard surfacesanitary grade acrylic sheet that simulates the base of a bath or shower tray4 General requirementsWhen inspected visually, the bath/shower mat to be tested shall be free frominclusions of foreign matter or any other defect (e.g. tears, blisters) that
23、 couldadversely affect the performance of the mat.The bath/shower mat shall be sufficiently flexible to conform to the shape of thebath or shower tray under its own weight when fitted in accordance with thesupplied manufacturers instructions, without presenting any additional hazardsto the user (e.g
24、. trip hazard).NOTE The dimensions of any bath or shower mat should not adversely affect themats ability to conform to the shape of the bath or shower tray.The bath/shower mat shall be of sufficient size to provide an adequate area fora person to stand comfortably while showering/bathing. The mat sh
25、all have aminimum uninterrupted standing area of at least (300 x 300) mm afterconditioning (see Clause 11) by placing a (300 1 x 300 1) mm square templateon its surface without the template extending beyond the edge of the mat.Shower mats shall be a minimum of (450 x 450) mm and bath mats shall be a
26、minimum of (450 x 300) mm. Compliance shall be confirmed after conditioning(see Clause 11).5 Classification according to performanceDepending on the outcome of the tests in Clause 12 and Clause 13, the bath orshower mat shall be classified in accordance with Table 1.NOTE Two levels of performance ex
27、ist for classifying bath and shower mats. Matsmeeting the slip resistant mat classification are deemed to offer the greatest slipresistance, while comfort mats are intended to provide comfort to the user withoutnecessarily significantly increasing the slip resistance offered by the bath/showersurfac
28、e.Table 1 Performance level of bath/shower mat slip potentialAngle ofInsecurityDynamic COF Slip potential Level14 19 0.24 0.36 Moderate Comfort20+ 0.36 Low Slip resistantBRITISH STANDARDBS 8445:20122 The British Standards Institution 20126 Test principleThe mat is positioned on a test ramp, onto whi
29、ch the test liquid is applied at aconstant rate using spray jets designed to provide a continuous even spread ofliquid on both the upper and lower surfaces of the mat. The operator performsa series of walks over the mat in time to a metronome while incrementallyincreasing the angle of the test ramp
30、between each walk. The test is continueduntil failure mode is reached or the operator feels that it could be unsafe tocontinue the test at a greater angle.The motion involves walking forwards and backwards over the mat using stepsof half a foot in length (see Annex A). This half step motion is manda
31、tory butthere is flexibility at the end of each forwards/backwards walk to allow theoperator to bring his/her feet back together in a standing position in order toaid operator comfort and help maintain the rhythmic motion with themetronome as shown in Figure A.1 and Figure A.2.7 Test operatorsThe te
32、st operators shall be able-bodied adults, who are able to maintain thewalking motion, understand this test procedure and competent in the use of atest ramp. Operators shall meet the verification requirements of 12.1.NOTE Operators should be changed regularly to avoid operator fatigue affectingtest r
33、esults.8 Test apparatus8.1 Inclinable ramp surface of a rigid, hard, flat and non-warping torsion-freeconstruction, which is free from bouncing/deflection and has the followingcharacteristics.a) Capable of holding a base surface of a minimum width of 500 mm and aminimum length of 1 000 mm. If the ba
34、th or shower mat does not fit on thesurface then it may be cut evenly on each side.b) An inclination adjustable in the longitudinal direction and measurable to0.1 with an accuracy of 0.2 through the range of 0 to 45. The display ofthe angle of inclination is not visible to the operator.c) Sanitary g
35、rade acrylic sheet, which conforms to BS EN 263, to simulate thebase of a bath or shower tray.8.2 Full body harness and suitable fall arrest system (where an inertia reel isused the harness and fall arrest system shall conform to BS EN 361 andBS EN 360, respectively) which allows the unrestricted mo
36、vement of the operatorduring testing without affecting the operators gait.8.3 Railings of adequate strength and rigidity fitted along the longitudinal sidesof the test apparatus at a height of (1 000 100) mm, which:a) allows the operator to manually arrest falling in conjunction with theharness syst
37、ems described in 8.2;b) is suitably padded to protect against operator injury; andc) is not be used to support the operator during testing.8.4 Suitable means of safe access to and from the machine.8.5 A means of supplying a constant delivery of aqueous wetting agent at a rateof (6 1) L/min, measured
38、 prior to the outlet nozzle to both the top surface ofthe mat under test and also the acrylic test surface, and capable of maintainingBRITISH STANDARD BS 8445:2012 The British Standards Institution 2012 3he wetting agent at a temperature of (30 3) C at a position immediately priorto the exit nozzles
39、, e.g. multiple outlets spaced equidistant across the width ofthe test ramp.8.6 A metronome that is capable of producing an output of 144 bpm and that isclearly audible to the test operator.9 Test solutionPotable water with a uniform concentration of 0.01 wt% sodium lauryl sulfateshall be used as a
40、wetting agent.The test solution shall be prepared immediately prior to testing using generallaboratory grade (GPR) or greater purity sodium lauryl sulfate, and continuouslymixed. Sufficient quantity shall be made to allow calibration and/or full testingon a single test item to be carried out.Test li
41、quid shall not be reused.NOTE Test liquid needs to be discharged to waste in accordance with local wasteregulations.10 Standard surfaceCare shall be taken to ensure that the acrylic sheet does not become scratchedduring installation, use or storage. The standard surface shall be protectedduring stor
42、age and replaced if there is wear or damage present in the testingarea. The surface in contact with the mat shall have a roughness value (Rz) ofnot greater than 1.7 m when assessed in accordance with BS EN ISO 4287.11 Test specimen conditioning, examination andpreparationThe mat shall be conditioned
43、 by removal from its packaging and being laid flaton a horizontal flat surface for a minimum of 16 h at a temperature of(23 3) C prior to testing.A visual examination shall be carried out and any defects, includingmanufacturing faults, blisters, tears, inclusions or foreign matter, shall berecorded.
44、 Particular reference shall be made to those defects that could affectthe safety or performance of the mat.12 Verification of standard surface12.1 The sanitary grade acrylic sheet shall be examined prior to use to ensurethat it is clean and free from any surface defects or contaminants. The surfacer
45、oughness shall be measured to verify that it conforms to Clause 10. If wear ordamage is identified, the acrylic sheet shall be replaced.12.2 The temperature and flow rate of the test solution shall be confirmedbefore verification of the standard surface is undertaken.12.3 Each test operator shall so
46、ak his/her feet in potable water at (30 3) C fora minimum of 10 min immediately prior to testing.12.4 The test solution supply shall be turned on, and allowed to form a uniformfilm over the standard surface.BRITISH STANDARDBS 8445:20124 The British Standards Institution 201212.5 The operator, wearin
47、g the correctly adjusted fall arrest system, shall mountthe test ramp and stand centrally on the base surface, with the test solutionoutlet behind them. The operator shall look at his/her feet.12.6 The operator shall test the standard surface by taking steps of a half footlength backwards and forwar
48、ds (see Annex A) over the standard surface in timewith the metronome set at 144 bpm, while continuing to look at his/her feetand assessing the security of his/her step.12.7 The operator shall increase the inclination of the ramp by an amounthe/she feels appropriate to the test condition. If at the p
49、revious angle theoperator felt secure, the angle increase may be several degrees. However, if theoperator felt insecure because the angle of insecurity was approaching, then theincrease in ramp angle may only be one degree or less.12.8 The operator shall repeat steps 12.6 and 12.7 until he/she slips on thestandard surface. The angle of insecurity when the slip takes place shall berecorded.Once a slip occurs the walk shall be repeated at the angle of slip and if a furtherslip occurs then this angle shall be recorded. If there i
