Issue 19 – August 2010

The performance requirements of New Zealand Building Code clause D1 Access routes requires walking surfaces to have adequate slip resistance under all conditions of use but gives no specific performance requirement. For designs following the non-mandatory Acceptable Solution D1/AS1, section 2.1.1 states that 'Level access routes to which the public has access, including level accessible routes, shall have a mean coefficient of friction μ, of not less than 0.4 when tested in accordance with AS/NZS 3661.1'. Therefore, for a dwelling where the public does not have access to the access routes within the building, BRANZ believes the minimum slip resistance requirements of 0.4 cannot be mandatorily applied. There is no specific slip resistance requirement for spaces within the building such as bathrooms and kitchens where the risk of slipping is much higher. We reiterate that BRANZ has always recommended that any walk-on surface – whether an access route or not – should have sufficient slip resistance to make it safe for occupants to walk on.

Reproduced from BRANZ Guideline, July 2010.