I’m enjoying the fall colours Down East like everyone else. The forest and the falling leaves, and those that end up on the path where I walk my dogs are something else. The dappled sunlight in the forest is a special sight especially after a light rain when the leaves are glistening in the sun. What’s not to like?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But it hit me recently when I had Rosie and Lily out for their morning pee run that these wet leaves on my sloping lawn are slippery – wet from rain not dog pee. I was a bit surprised. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Later when I was walking down the timber stairs from my deck the same thought occurred. There weren’t many leaves on the stair but when I slid my boot across the few, I could see that a lot of leaves might reduce the skid resistance of the timber enough to cause a slip and fall. No question a lot of wet leaves on a sloping, wet lawn would reduce the resistance. I’m careful now when I walk down a wet slope in a field overlooking Settle Lake in Halifax where my dogs run around like crazy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
How is this relevant to the purpose of this blog site “…to explain the nature and methods of forensic engineering and expert services”?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Well, who would have known wet leaves could cause someone grief? And is there a responsibility to rake the leaves everywhere in public places to reduce the liability? <\/p>\n\n\n\n
It’s relevant because some might wonder, can you test the skid resistance of a leaf covered timber stair or a wet, leaf covered lawn? You certainly can. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
I tested the skid resistance of the wet floor in a dry sauna where a woman had slipped and fallen using the skin from a pig’s belly. The skin is very similar to that on a person’s foot. I couldn’t use the woman’s foot and cause her to slip and fall again. Although I did think briefly about how I might have used her foot.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If you can measure it you can deal with it. (Refs 1 to 4) I believe you can measure everything including the frictional resistance of wet, leaf covered surfaces, and even the forest floor. Sometimes the measurements are rough but rough is better than nothing. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, sweep those stairs, rake that lawn, and take care where you walk in public places.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
References<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n (Posted by Eric E. Jorden, M.Sc., P.Eng. Consulting Professional Engineer, Forensic Engineer, Geotechnology Ltd., Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada October 25, 2021 ejorden@eastlink.ca<\/span><\/strong>) <\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" I’m enjoying the fall colours Down East like everyone else. The forest and the falling leaves, and those that end up on the path where I walk my dogs are something else. The dappled sunlight in the forest is a … Continue reading