Home / The tests

Method & accreditation

Two readings, one clear answer

Grip cannot be judged by eye, so we take it two complementary ways — and we are accredited for both.

The pendulum (PTV)

The principal test is the pendulum. A weighted arm carries a rubber slider across the floor, recreating the moment a heel begins to slide, and the resistance it meets is recorded as a Pendulum Test Value. We take it wet as well as dry, in three directions; a reading of 36 or more sits in the low-risk band, which the HSE treats as the line to clear.

Surface roughness (Rz)

A floor’s fine texture matters too. Where surfaces meet water or grease, we measure the micro-roughness in microns — texture gives liquid somewhere to escape, so the floor keeps its hold. It complements the pendulum rather than replacing it, and tracked over time it reveals a floor wearing smooth before it becomes a hazard.

The standards

• BS 7976-2 — the operation of the pendulum tester.
• BS EN 16165 — the current standard for measuring surface slip resistance (it superseded BS EN 13036-4).
• UKSRG guidelines — how the results are interpreted (we are a member).

Whoever is responsible for a building holds the duty — employers, facilities managers, and in Welsh care settings Care Inspectorate Wales (CIW), which expects slip risk to be assessed and managed.

Laboratory product testing

Beyond site work, our environmentally controlled laboratory (to ISO 291) examines more than 300 flooring products a year — tile, stone, resin, vinyl and decking — and can issue slip-resistance certification or support product development.

Get a quote   Sectors