Committee approval has been granted for a National Floor Safety Institute-proposed standard that will offer guidelines for the measurement of wet static coefficient of friction of hard floor surfaces.

“B101.1 Test Method for Measuring Wet SCOF of Common Hard-Surface Floor Materials” was approved May 2 by a committee of 27 safety professionals working to stem the more than $62 billion-a-year cost of slip-and-fall accidents.

Not a cleaning or performance standard, B101.1 was developed to provide a measurement procedure setting forth traction ranges that facilitate remediation of walkway surfaces when warranted.

Developed according to ANSI procedures for development of an American national standard, committee chairman Tom Bresnahan, CSP, of BC Associates, Burr Ridge, IL, said the scope of the standard is to develop safety standards intended to provide preventative measures in all manner of safety in regards to slip, trips and falls.

He said the committee, which met at VarioSystems Headquarters in Southlake, TX, seeks consensus, which is general agreement, though it does not have to be unanimous. “Something less than uncompromised surrender.”

Russell J. Kendzior, committee secretary and acting executive director of the National Floor Safety Institute (NFSI), said the standard offers “test methods for floor safety auditors and a guide to provide choices when mitigation is needed.”

After the committee hashed out some issues with regard to informative vs. normative content, it was able to reach consensus on B101.1, and made suggested minor changes to the proposed “B101.0 Walkway Surface Auditing Guideline for the Measurements of Walkway Slip Resistance.”

Subcommittees will redraft and make proposed editorial changes, and resubmit a ballot letter for B101.1 final approval, and committee approval of B101.0, though dates have not yet been set.

The committee, made up of producers, end users and general interest industry members, was introduced by Kendzior to Alyssa Bologna, a teenage slip-and-fall accident victim, and her mother Suzie Bologna.

An outstanding swimmer and lifeguard at a community pool in South Lake, TX, Alyssa suffered a dislocated kneecap, broken femur, back and hip injuries and other serious ailments from a slip-and-fall on the wet deck of the pool where she worked. Confined to bed for a month, Alyssa is still recovering from the incident, which occurred in Oct.

Her mother told the committee that Alyssa should serve as a “reminder of what didn’t have to happen. It should resonate with you louder than anything. It was bad, and it didn’t have to happen.

People just don’t get it.”

Kendzior reminded the committee that such an accident could happen to anyone. “It could be your daughter; it could be you.”

Then he turned to Alyssa, and told her, “Your life isn’t over. This shouldn’t have happened, and these people are going to do something about it.”

The committee also agreed to form four additional subcommittees to consider the following:

• B101.2 “Test Method for Determining the Impact on Wet Static Coefficient of Friction of Various Chemical or Physical Walkway Surface Treatments”;

• B101.3 “Test Method for Measuring the Dynamic Coefficient of Friction on Walkway Surfaces”;

• B101.4 “Slip Resistance Specification of Wet Sufaces as Contacted Under Barefoot Conditions” (ie: bathtubs, showers, spas, swimming pool decks, boat decks, etc.);

• B101.5 Uniform Labeling Method for Identifying the Slip Resistance (traction) of Floor Coverings and Coatings; and Uniform Labeling Method for Identifying the Slip Resistance of Floor Cleaning Agents and Treatments.”

The U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) Research Committee has called for a higher level of funding for research that will advance building design, technology and operations that minimize environmental and human health impacts.

A new report published by the Committee, “Green Building Research Funding: An Assessment of  Activity in the United States” finds that research related to high performance green building practices and technologies amounts to only 0.2 percent of all Federally funded research – an annual average of $193 million per year (2002-2005) and only 0.02 percent of the estimated value of annual U.S. building construction and renovation.

Meanwhile, building operation consumes 40 percent of energy and 71 percent of the electricity in the U.S., and accounts for 38 percent of the country’s carbon dioxide emissions, which is directly influencing global climate change. The building sector requires exponential performance improvements pursuant to its critical role in environmental problems and solutions, and funding for research, development and deployment activities must be significantly expanded to meet this need.

“Funding levels are not proportionate with the level of impact that the built environment has on our nation’s economy, environment and quality of life,” said Gail Brager, chair of USGBC’s Research Committee. “Elevated research efforts will enable a major shift in design, construction, renovation and operation practices necessary to facilitate large scale improvements to health and environmental conditions.”

USGBC initially recommends that the two Federal agencies with the primary function of funding academic research—the National Science Foundation and the National Institute of Health—direct at least two percent of their research budgets toward issues related to green building research, development and technology transfer in the near term.

For the purpose of having a simple benchmark, the USGBC Research Committee proposes a total conservative investment for Federal funding of 0.10 percent of annual construction value ($1 trillion), or $1 billion (based on 2004 data).

In addition, states should follow the lead of New York and California, which provide unique and positive models for the distribution of state and utility monies for research on increasing the energy and resource efficiency of the built environment.

UNICCO Service Co. has announced that Philip J. Crincoli has joined the company as director, business development, with responsibilities for developing and supporting UNICCO’s growing plant services portfolio with an emphasis on pharmaceuticals.

Crincoli is attached to UNICCO’s Bloomfield, NJ office and reports to plant services business development senior director and team lead Bill Crowe and to Randy Ledbetter, UNICCO vice president, business development.

Crincoli brings significant facility management and business development, as well as environmental and engineering, experience to UNICCO. “Phil has the educational and technical background, as well as the industry experience, to structure business proposals that create mutually beneficial relationships with our plant services and pharmaceutical customers,” commented Ledbetter. “We look forward to his contributions.”

Crincoli joins UNICCO from Premier Maintenance Inc., Milford, CT, where he was vice president, with responsibility for sales and program development. He has also held business development and management positions at GCA Services Group in Philadelphia, Sodexho Corporate Services in Gaithersburg, Md. and Aramark ServiceMaster of Downers Grove, Ill.

He is active in the New Jersey chapters of several industry associations, including the International Facility  Management Association (IFMA), the International Society of Pharmaceutical Engineers (ISPE) and the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC). He is experienced in cleanrooms and controlled environments, as well as Green Seal and USGBC Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification projects. Crincoli and his family live in Point Pleasant, N.J.

Under new management, the Building Services Contractors Association International (BSCAI), the trade association of the building services industry, set a new attendance record at its annual convention and trade show held April 13-17 at McCormick Place in Chicago.

With SmithBucklin as its new, full-service management company, the association said 1,837 BSC professionals and more than 100 exhibitors from companies, such as NSS, 3M Commercial Care Division, Procter & Gamble Professional, JohnsonDiversey and Team Financial participated in the event.

“Year in, year out, the BSCAI Annual Convention & Trade Show is the number one event to learn what is new in the industry, what is happening in the industry,” said Stan Doobin, BSCAI vice president and 2007 BSCAI Annual Convention & Trade Show co-chair.

“It is the place for networking with other BSCs, building relationships and making new friends. My involvement in BSCAI is a large reason for my company’s success.”

At the convention and trade show, BSCAI experienced its highest attendance rates in years, successful program additions, and the largest revenue ever collected for the BSCAI Membership Resource Center (which sells textbooks, tapes and other educational materials).

The CEO Summit, a two-day seminar facilitated by Shannon Waller, The Strategic Coach, was a new feature at the Convention and Trade Show. The program was an attendee favorite, and BSCAI plans to include additional CEO-related seminars for registrants to choose from in 2008.

“As the 2007 president of BSCAI, I could have not been more proud of our association and our new management team,” added John Ezzo, CBSE, BSCAI president and CEO of New Image Enterprises, LLC.

“The 2007 convention was truly rewarding and exciting. It was great to see so many people that I have known for years come back to the convention this year. The success of the 2007 convention will further propel BSCAI to reaching new heights as the best resource for building service contractors.”

John Ravaris, 2007 BSCAI Annual Convention & Trade Show co-chair and vice president of Sales, East & BSC Corporate Accounts for JohnsonDiversey, Inc., said the quality of the traffic on the trade show floor was outstanding.

“We were busy from the start of the show until the very end. We received so many quality leads that if we only close a handfull, we will get a ten-fold return on our investment. Next year’s show can’t come soon enough.”

Next year’s show will be held in Tampa, FL.