Slip Resistance Testing

Non Slip Floors UK Ltd offer an on site Slip Resistance Test comprising of a Pendulum Slip Test and a Roughness Test. A Munro Portable Skid Resistance Tester and a Surtronic Duo (both shown below) are used following the recommendation of the HSE and UK Slip Resistance Group to the British Standard 7976. After a full on site assessment is completed a report is compiled for the client showing the full testing method and results.

The Pendulum

The British Pendulum Tester (Portable Skid Resistance Tester) has been chosen by the HSE and the UKSRG as the recognised British Standard for measuring slip resistance. The Pendulum Slip Tester has proved to give good correlation between its readings and the incidence of pedestrian slipping accidents and also produces the same hydraulic uplift characteristics that occur when a person slips.

Surface Roughness

Surface roughness is linked to the formation of the hydrodynamic film and its uplifting effect on a particular surface. This can sometimes correlate to the Pendulum Test Values and can therefore be useful in areas that are not practical for a full Pendulum Slip Test. It must however be noted that a surface can be different in profile and still have a similar micro roughness. The surface roughness should therefore be used in conjunction with other salient information.

The Results

The criterion for judging the results of slip resistance tests is based on the work of the Building Research Station in the 1960s, supported by the experience of investigators and bodies such as the former GLC over the last 40 years. This work suggested that for unencumbered, reasonably active pedestrians aged between 18 and 60 a PTV level of 36 or above represented an acceptably low risk of slipping when walking in a straight line on a level surface. The Pendulum Test Value table below is based on these results: