Trip Hazard Protection

Trip hazard protection is an important consideration in good sidewalk design. Although there have been many innovations designed to make sidewalks safer, the use of inferior materials can quickly undermine the best efforts of any safety advocate.

Take truncated domes, for example. These are the series of bumps that have been required at the end of sidewalks leading onto roadways as mandated by the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). The truncated domes are there to alert the visually impaired that they are entering an area shared with vehicular traffic.

The original tighter spacing and alternating pattern design of early truncated domes did not provide trip hazard protection for children and women in high-heeled shoes. The solution was to a design where the domes were inline with a wider space of 2.35 inches between domes.

The material used to make the truncated domes also plays a significant role in trip hazard protection. Concrete may seem like a good choice at first glance. However, it is very difficult to mold perfect concrete domes. Even if the installation passes ADA inspection, the domes are prone to breaking and damage. This causes an uneven surface and a potential tripping hazard. Rubber mats pose a similar problem when it comes to trip hazard protection, as they can deteriorate, leaving behind an uneven surface.

The best choice for trip hazard protection is truncated domes made from engineered composite technology. Products such as Access Tile are engineered with superior anti-slip properties. The most visible feature is the high number of tactile elements on every tile, twice as many as comparable products contain.

For long-lasting truncated domes that will offer trip hazard protection throughout the life of the product, look to Access Tile.