Avoid Bathroom Slip Accidents in Malaysia with These 5 Tips

March 8, 2024

Preventing Slip and Fall Incidents in Wet Areas: A Guide for Home, Office, and Business Environments

Avoiding slips and trips is a common concern, particularly when navigating wet bathroom floors at home or near damp toilets. This is especially relevant in Malaysia, where the humid climate prolongs the drying time of water splashed from showers or hoses. While some may easily recover from a fall, slip and fall accidents near toilets pose a more significant risk than one might realize. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), approximately 646,000 individuals globally succumb to slip and fall accidents, with the majority being adults aged 65 and above. This underscores the importance of investing in anti-slip solutions for your bathroom.

A 2018 study by the Malaysian Journal of Public Health Medicine found that 45% of hospital visits from the elderly are a result of slip and falls at home.

Even if bathroom mishaps might not result in death, a slip near the toilet may lead to a miscarriage!

Research published in The Maternal and Child Health Journal revealed that 27% of surveyed mothers experienced slips and falls during pregnancy. Among this group, 35% reported falling two or more times, and 1.5% of these incidents resulted in premature labor or delivery.

To avert the risk of a bathroom slip and fall accident for yourself or your loved ones, consider implementing these preventive measures at home.

1） Place handrails near the toilet or shower area.

As you age or experience pregnancy, you may notice a shift in balance, attributed to factors like pre-existing medical conditions or the presence of a growing person in your belly. Installing handrails near the toilet or shower area can offer valuable walking assistance in confined spaces. It’s crucial to note that sinks, toilet paper dispensers, or towel racks aren’t suitable substitutes for a sturdy handrail, as they are not designed to support the weight of a person in need of walking assistance.

While toilet handrails address the need for support, they may not entirely resolve the issue of wet and slippery flooring.

2）Exercise caution by using an old clothes drying mat to provide additional traction in areas prone to slips.

A widely adopted practice in Malaysian households is repurposing old t-shirts or towels as drying mats. This quick and eco-friendly solution allows the reuse of worn cloth that might otherwise be discarded.

For enhanced slip resistance, you can consider using rubber weighted mats that adhere to the floor. However, this might not be as secure as it seems. If the floor is wet, the mat likely becomes saturated as well. Observing weighted rubber mats outside toilets in cafes or restaurants often reveals that they can still slip around on wet floors.

Moreover, this method does not address the issue of preventing the bathroom flooring from getting wet in the first place

3）Apply anti-slip tape or mats on your bathroom floors to enhance traction and reduce the risk of slipping.

To address the issue of a wet and slippery bathroom floor, consider using anti-slip tapes or mats. Both of these anti-slip products function similarly, creating bevels on the floor to ensure safe walking for users.

While using anti-slip tapes or mats can be a practical DIY solution to slip-proof your shower or toilet temporarily, they may not be effective for long-term prevention. The space between the anti-slip mat and the floor, for instance, remains wet, potentially accumulating mold and bacteria over time. In areas with high foot traffic, the materials of anti-slip tapes may lift, becoming slip and fall hazards themselves.

4）Enhance safety by coating your toilet floor with an epoxy coating.

If you choose to coat the floor with epoxy, you’re opting for a material commonly used in public washrooms, carparks, and hospitals. Epoxy serves as a cost-effective, long-term solution that not only keeps the flooring dry and waterproof but also provides an anti-slip surface. However, it’s essential to note that the appearance may resemble the surface of a swimming pool.

5. Use Mr Nano Coating Nanotechnology Anti-Slip Floor Coating service for your bathroom or washroom tiles

after before

What you require is a coating option that introduces micro-grains to your flooring without compromising the tile designs you appreciate.

Mr Nano Coating Nanotechnology Anti-slip Floor Coating service ensures that your toilet or shower areas will be slip proof in a matter of 24 hours. Unlike the epoxy alternative, this anti-slip coating won’t change the appearance of the floor. Instead, it works by glossing over a transparent, rough layer on your tiles.