New label tells Canadian consumers how slip-resistant shoes are
15/12/2016
A team at the Toronto Rehabilitation Institute asked members of the public to take part in the study, inviting them to try out different footwear technologies in conditions designed to mimic inclined, wet and icy surfaces. From this, it came up with the new testing method, which the institute has called the Maxiumum Achievable Angle (MAA) method.
In the tests, it tipped the platform people were walking on until they slipped (safety harnesses made sure there were no injuries) and developed a consumer-facing label, giving boots and shoes a rating of zero, one, two or three snowflakes, to show how well the footwear will cope on slippery, sloping roads and pavements. If the soles start slipping at between seven and ten degrees, the rating is one snowflake. Eleven to 14 degrees gives two snowflakes and anything above 15 degrees gives a maximum three-snowflake score.
Coping with an inclination of seven degrees is the minimum to achieve a one snowflake rating under the new system. The institute picked this figure because that’s the inclination that kerb ramps in Ontario have.
Research director, Dr Geoff Fernie, said he expects “serious and life-changing injuries” to be prevented this winter by people choosing to buy better non-slip footwear as a result of this study.
In total, participants tested 98 different styles of slip-resistant winter boots. Only 8% of these met minimum slip-resistance requirements laid out in the MAA method and earned a one-snowflake rating. No footwear product achieved a rating higher than one snowflake. All the boots and shoes tested were brand new; the institute has pointed out that wear on the soles will, obviously, make slip-resistant technology less effective.
Boots from WindRiver, Sperry, Cat Footwear, Wolverine and Dakota managed to achieve a one-snowflake rating. A Sperry men’s Cold Bay boot came top with a score of ten (degrees) for walking up or down on bare ice. It uses Arctic Grip soling technology from Vibram.
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