National Floor Safety Institute Comments on Hotel Industry Slips and Falls

HURST, Texas, Feb. 14, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- According to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) National Electronic Injury Surveillance System (NEISS) data, floors are considered the most dangerous and lead to more than 7 million emergency room visits and 36,000 deaths each year, most are due to a slip or trip and fall. Bathtubs and shower structures are number four on their list of dangerous products. "Far too many lives are lost due to accidental slips and falls," says Russ Kendzior, Founder and President of the National Floor Safety Institute (NFSI), "and even most troubling is that most falls can be easily prevented."

Hotels are particularly impacted by slips and falls which are the leading cause of guest injuries. The most likely place for a slip and fall event is in the guestrooms which often have highly polished stone or ceramic tiled floors installed adjacent to a bathtub or shower unit both of which become wet under normal use. The problem is further exacerbated by the use of soaps, shampoos, bath oils, etc., which when combined with water make for a deadly combination.

Hotel incident reporting data reveals that many guestroom slip and fall claims involved injury to the back of the head which happens when the person slips and falls backwards striking the back of their head on a hard object like that of the rim of the bathtub, the edge of the toilet or top edge of the vanity. Head injuries are very serious and can result in a concussion, a brain bleed, or even death.  Rarely are such injuries witnessed. Unless there was another occupant in the room who witnessed the fall and called for immediate medical treatment, the injured person may lose consciousness whereby they cannot call for help which can lead to death.

Surprisingly there are no slip resistance standards or safety requirements that the bathtub industry follows as it relates to a minimum level of slip resistance. However, the NFSI B101 standards committee on slip and fall prevention is currently developing a wet barefoot safety standard which will establish the criteria for bathtub and shower safety. The NFSI recommends that hotel owners safety treat their tubs and showers annually and to use NFSI Certified High-Traction floors and floor cleaners which have been clinically proven to reduce up to 90% of slip and fall claims. A bathtub slip and fall can happen in a fraction of a second and change a person's life forever.

About the National Floor Safety Institute
Founded in 1997 as a 501c3 nonprofit organization, NFSI's mission is to "aid in the prevention of slips, trips, and falls through education, research, and standards development." The NFSI is the champion for slip, trip and fall prevention and provides third-party independent product testing, educational training programs, and oversees the NFSI B101 committee which authors slip, trip and fall prevention standards.

Contact: Russell Kendzior, Founder and President
Office: (817) 749-1705
Cell: (817) 368-1909
[email protected]

SOURCE National Floor Safety Institute