GENERAL OVERVIEW

Committee F13 meets twice a year, usually in January and June, with about 50 members attending two days of technical meetings. The Committee, with a membership of approximately 330, currently has jurisdiction of over 12 standards published in the Annual Book of ASTM Standards, Volume 15.07. F13 has five technical subcommittees that maintain these standards. Information on the subcommittee structure and F13’s portfolio of approved standards and Work Items under development is available from the list of Subcommittees, Standards, and Work Items. These standards have and continue to play a preeminent role in all aspects important to the footwear industry.

ACTIVITIES, PRODUCTS, AND SERVICES

The technical subcommittees of F13 collectively encompass four primary areas: traction, footwear, research, and walkway surfaces. The traction group deals with methods of test for determining the slip characteristics of a surface to soling interface. These methods generally detail how to conduct these tests using a variety of practices. The footwear subcommittee generally deals with the performance issues related to footwear such as sole pull-off strength and associated safety characteristics. In the area of performance for safety footwear protection, Subcommittee F13.30 on Footwear is one of the world’s leading resources for reference material.

Subcommittee F13.40 on Research does not develop standards. Rather, F13.40 serves as a home for the Committee to review the state-of-the-art in testing slip characteristics of footwear and floor surfaces through the study of human gait. Recently, this work has included recording data on the propensity of people to slip when traversing designated floor surfaces. This information can help establish reference materials. Finally, the area dealing with walkway surfaces maintains standards that largely assist in ranking and evaluating material interfaces, and using the rankings to assist in selecting walkway and footwear surfaces.

F13 conducts workshops every two to three years. These programs cover the most current research the likelihood of pedestrian slip events on different surfaces. Occasionally, the workshops will offer other varied forms of recently collected data from accepted slip measuring practices, and/or guidance on measuring slip. This information aids the standards work of the Committee.

PARTICIPATING AS A MEMBER ON THE COMMITTEE

ASTM International opens its doors to all technical experts with an interest in the standardization process. As a member of ASTM Committee F13, you will be exposed to the robust resources and member benefits included below that have helped make ASTM a worldwide standards development leader for more than a century:

  • Network with industry professionals worldwide
  • Receive one free volume of the Annual Book of ASTM Standards (in print or CD)
  • Use Internet-based Standards Development Forums and E-Balloting
  • Receive discounts on all ASTM publications
  • Keep up to date through a free subscription to ASTM’s monthly magazine - Standardization News
  • Benefit from reduced fees for attendance at ASTM symposia and technical workshops
  • And more

Members can participate from anywhere because of ASTM’s customized web-based systems. The best way to contribute as a member is to (1) participate in task group activities that are of interest (both virtually and in person), and (2) vote on ballots and provide feedback and recommendations. To participate in standards activities, start by identifying Work Items of interest by reviewing the List of Subcommittees, Standards, and Work Items on the F13 home page. Contact task group leaders for those areas of interest by reviewing the Work Item summary pages and securing contact information available through the on-line roster in the member area. To make the most of your voting and participation overall, be sure to stipulate which specific subcommittees you wish to participate in when you join so that you will receive notices of ballots that open within these groups.

In order to continue to promote standards objectives for this fast-paced industry, F13 fully utilizes ASTM’s interactive media. The Committee conducts ASTM Virtual Meetings in conjunction with conference calls to accelerate document development and increase the participation of their global membership in a real-time format.

STAKEHOLDERS

The Committee is composed of producers, researchers, consultants, regulators, associations, and consumers. Producers are generally those individuals or companies that manufacture products in any given area of standardization by the Committee. This may include, depending on the subcommittee, manufacturers of tribometers, flooring, and/or soling. Regulators include any representative from a government agency – the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, for example – that is responsible for setting safety limits for footwear in a variety of workplace conditions. The slip, trip, and fall industry also includes consultants who provide services related to walkway surface evaluation. This work may be in relation to a slip event resulting in injury, or through proactive assistance in helping architects, sole, and flooring manufacturers, and building managers to design, apply, and maintain surfaces in a way that is safe for the people traversing them.

RELATIONSHIP WITH INDUSTRY, GOVERNMENT, AND REGULATION

The standards of Committee F13 are sometimes used as the basis for regulation, namely by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration. The standards are critical to safe design of footwear and walkways in the interest of protecting the consumer and general public. Regulations typically reference ASTM International standards as acceptable methods of test, material specifications, and/or operational guidance that may be required for regulatory compliance. Particularly in the case of footwear, a manufacturer’s declaration of conforming to standards recognized by the regulating agency can accelerate the acceptance and use of their product because it is presumed to conform to the law/regulation that references the standard. If a manufacturer states that a product has been manufactured in accordance with standards cited in regulation, when in fact the product does not conform, then the result is often serious legal penalties.

LINKS AND INFORMATION

The following websites have been identified by Committee F13 to contain information of interest.

Society for Protective Coatings (SSPC): www.sspc.org

Occupational Safety and Health Administration: www.osha.gov