Slip Testing

A floor surface with inadequate safety levels may lead to a “Slip & Fall” accident with an injury occurring and therefore a subsequent claim.  Floors can change over time, may become rougher or smoother with wear which can alter the slip resistance. 

Here at Facility Flooring, we can conduct a pendulum test on your premises, provide you with a report & then recommend cleaning products or anti-slip products to help you address these areas of concern.  

Under S19 of the Safety, Health and Welfare at Work Act 2005, employers are required to carry out risk assessment & to record in their safety statement.  Doing a pendulum test as part of your duty of care towards staff & customers will give you peace of mind knowing your floors are tested while also allowing you to easily compare clean & contaminated floors. All of our equipment is independently calibrated & BSI certified (BS 7976-2 Floor Pendulum Testing)  

A pendulum test assesses the friction offered by a floor surface when a foot comes into contact with the floor.  It can measure slip potential of both dry, wet & contaminated flooring. A pendulum test measures dynamic coefficient of friction (CoF)- how people walk.  Different rubber sliders are used to simulate shoe & barefoot conditions. 

 This is the HSE’s preferred method of testing because it is accurate, portable & works in the conditions that slip accidents happen.  The higher the PTV (Pendulum Test Value) of a flooring surface, the lower the chances of a slip accident occurring.  A rating of 0-24 indicates there is a high risk of a slip occurring, 25-35 indicates a moderate slip potential, and a rating of 36+ means there is a low risk of slipping. 

We can never guarantee a 36+ rating (1 in 1,000,000) when applying anti-slip treatments.  We recommend annual testing for floor surfaces to ensure continuous maintenance & monitoring.  We would also recommend getting a test when installing new flooring to see if any anti-slip treatment is required.  We can also provide a test report which can be used in the event of “Slip & Trip” which may lead to a compensation case.

Does your workplace require anti-slip testing? Call us today on 085 1234 899 or email us on info@facilityflooring.ie for more information.