In the UK, slipping accidents account for about one in three non-fatal major injuries and for more than one in five over three day injuries in workplaces. In a year, the UK witnesses approximately thirty-five thousand injuries. As per the statistics of HSE (Health and Safety Executive), most of these slipping accidents take place on floor surfaces that are contaminated.

When slip and fall accidents take place in workplaces and offices, the owner is dragged to the court and made to pay a hefty compensation, along with taking care of the medical expenses. If it happens in someone’s home or a residential area, it results in serious injuries and nobody would want to see their loved ones hurt. This is why it is crucial to carry out proper slip resistance testing.

Slip resistance tests can be carried out on a wide range of surfaces, from stone and ceramic tiles to wooden decking and resilient floors. In the UK, the pendulum slip resistance test is the most popular and reliable test that is approved by the court. This is a portable test and the measurements can either be taken on-site or in the laboratory.

What does the pendulum test do?

The pendulum test measures the actual loss of stopping under momentum. A heel’s moving action across a floor is reproduced by the pendulum test machine. This is unlike the speculative mathematically estimated method of measuring the slipperiness of a floor.

The pendulum slip testing is known as being the most reliable and accurate way of testing the slip resistance of a floor. The test machine is capable of mimicking the sole of a shoe by making use of the rubber foot that is attached to the machine’s swinging arm.

What is involved during the pendulum test?

By making use of the technique of impact strength, a certain amount of weight is placed on the pendulum swing arm’s end. This arm is then at a distance that is measured and above the ground. Then, it is discharged.

The weight is made up of a sprung loaded rubber heal. So, when the swing arm is discharged, the runner heal is released and it goes toward the floor. This measures the impact and slide, reproducing a person’s heel on a floor, especially wet floor.

The slipperiness of a floor is concluded by how far the arm travels across the floor.

At present, 36 PTV or Pendulum Test Value is required on all floors to ascertain that the slip risk is low. Anything below 36 would mean that the floor is slippery and it immediately needs attention.

Since the HSE found out that more than 90% of slip and fall accidents happen on smooth or wet floors and cost businesses a lot, it is critical that slip resistance testing is carried out on all kinds of commercial flooring systems. In case the floor slip test deems the floor surface as slippery and unsafe, there are many non-slip floor treatments to consider including anti-slip coatings and deep cleaning.

As you can see, pendulum slip resistance testing is one of the most critical tools in floor safety as without this test, you will not be able to ascertain how safe your floor is for your employees, yourself, clients, customers and the general public. Periodically carrying out this test in workplaces and offices is vital as accidents can result in loss of reputation and very expensive lawsuits. It can also degrade the morale of the employees and affect their productivity since they are constantly thinking of their safety instead of concentrating on the task at hand.

So, make sure to connect with a professional company providing pendulum slip resistance testing services. As this is a portable test, it is not necessary that you have to shut down your entire office for carrying out the test. You can send a piece of your flooring to the company to be tested in their laboratory or call them over to your office.