Leading Whangarei Osteopath comments on the Whangarei CBD slipperyness issue.
In answer to your question regarding if we have had patients complaining of the surface I have to say that there is a steady stream of people complaining of the slipperyness of the CBD foot paths. My self included.
The questions I have to ask are:
- Is there any criteria laid down by Occupational Health & Safety (OSH) regarding the surface quality of footpaths or public places in respect to ‘slipperyness’? If so, why is the criteria not adhered to? If not why not?
- Many shops are required to exhibit safety signs if the floors get slippery so why is the council exempt?
- There is significant difference between the old sealed foot paths and the new brick surfaces in terms of traction so who did the research into this feature, and if there was no research done, was this an oversight or why was it not included in the original contract speciation’s?
- Who was responsible for signing the surface off?
There is substantial evidence that many older people will not go to CBD on wet days expressly because of the slippery surfaces.
Cheers
Max Belcher