Slips and falls are the most common cause of injury in the workplace. Regardless of your business, it is your duty and responsibility to take care of your staff, clients, customers and also members of the public whilst they are on your property. An assessment of slip risk is a crucial test to minimise the risks of such accidents and associated legal ramifications. The pendulum slip test is the standard method approved by HSE (Health and Safety Executive) for analysing the slipperiness of floors. This test provides accurate and reliable results.

What is a pendulum slip resistance test?

The pendulum slip test is recognised by the HSE as a robust and trustworthy test to offer faultless analysis on the slip potential of different types of flooring. This test can be used to portray shoes and barefoot, dependent on the area that the tile is used for. The testing is based on the swinging pendulum that imitates heel sweeping over an area of flooring. The slipperiness of a flooring surface has a measurable and direct effect on the PTV (pendulum test value) given.

During a pendulum test, a total of fifteen swings is conducted in 3 directions and the average is calculated to provide an overall PTV.

How is the pendulum slip test carried out?

The pendulum slip test is conducted using a portable pendulum test machine. The device replicates the dynamic CoF (coefficient of force) on the surface of the floor. This means that the swinging arm of the pendulum is used with a rubber slider, which stimulates and replicates the act of walking.

Once the pendulum has been set up on the area that is going to be tested, the arm of the pendulum is released and the slider swings in order to make contact with the floor surface. When the slider makes contact with the floor, it imitates a heel striking the floor. The further the pendulum travel after it has made contact with the floor, the more slippery the surface of the floor.

The pendulum slip test can be conducted on various types of floor and can be used on dry, wet and contaminated surfaces.

What is the meaning of the pendulum slip test results?

The pendulum slip resistance test generates a pendulum test value or PTV, which determines the slipperiness of the floor. A reading of below 24 indicates that there is a high slip potential; a reading of 25 to 35 means that there is a medium slip potential; and a reading of above 36 means that the slip potential is low. If after conducting a pendulum test on your floor surface, you do not get a PTV of 36 and more, it means that you must invest in floor coatings and other such anti-slip treatments. A slippery floor surface is not accepted at any kind of workplace or commercial building. Also, with people constantly trying to save themselves from not falling, the overall productivity of your workplace will significantly go down.

The law for floor testing

The pendulum testing is the only slip resistance testing that the courts in the UK recognise. If your workplace has a slippery floor and someone trips or falls, you might be looking at an expensive lawsuit against you. You might even have to pay a hefty compensation in the event that the person has suffered grave injury as a result of the fall. You can avoid all of that by simply carrying out the pendulum test on a regular basis. This will help you to ensure that the surface of your floor is not slippery and in case it is, you can take proper precautions before things get worse.

So, if you have not tested the slipperiness of your floor surface, it is high time that you avail the services of a professional. The pendulum test will safeguard you from being dragged to court.