Slip Resistance Testing of Floor and Paving Surfaces

There is a duty of care upon flooring designers, manufacturers, distributors, installers, contractors, and on the architects who specify flooring products, to ensure that flooring surfaces are 'fit for purpose' and do not pose a safety risk. One of the key components of safety is defining how slippery the floor is; this is known as its 'slip resistance'. In fact, The Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations 1992 stipulate that floors must not be slippery so that they put people's safety at risk.

UKAS-accredited, CERAM is a leading provider of testing for slip resistance, offering both the Pendulum Test and the Ramp Test. CERAM offers a full on-site consultancy service regarding skid and slip issues. Testing of floors and surfaces in situ can identify a significant number of factors that can influence the skid slip performance of flooring materials. For example, cleaning regimes, maintenance, integrity of substrate, wearing or weathering of the flooring surface, presence of any sealants on the surface of the floor and trafficking pattern can all affect significantly the performance of flooring materials.

We have expertise in a range of materials, including:

• Ceramic
• Porcelain
• Granite
• Slate
• Marble
• Natural stone
• Brick
• Cement
• Timber
• Resin finishes
• PVC and other flexible materials
• Glass
• Metal
• Plastic.

and can measure for slip resistance both in our laboratory and on site.

We provide slip resistance testing to:

• Manufacturers - working with them to improve their products
• Architects - to advise on the slip resistance of specified products
• Contractors - to ensure that products are fit for application prior to installation
• End users - to advise on remedial work and to investigate slipping accidents
• Detergent manufacturers to ensure that their products do not affect the slip resistance of floors.

The choice of pendulum slip testing or ramp slip testing is dependent on the type of material used for the flooring, its surface profile and the environment in which the tile is being used.

Pendulum Test

The Pendulum Test is the preferred method of both the HSE and the UKSRG (UK Slip Resistance Group) in the UK and is designed to simulate the action of a slipping foot. It can be used both on site and in the laboratory. Standards that use the pendulum slip test include BS 7976 (used for pedestrian surfaces), EN 1341 (for external paving) and EN 14231 (natural stone modular tiles).

Ramp Test

The Ramp Test is split into DIN 51130 Shod and DIN 51097 Barefoot. This method of testing slip resistance involves test subjects wearing standard soled boots (shod) on an oily floor surface or barefoot on a wet ‘soapy’  floor surface; the floor is then inclined gradually until they slip.  The ramp test is useful for measuring slip resistance in industrial areas and in wet areas, such as swimming pools.

The slip resistance tests can be supported by sophisticated roughness and surface profile analysis, and by expert consultation, including expert witness for legal cases.

Related Resources:

SlipSTD is an FP6 European Collective Research Project coordinated by CERAM. The project has been devised to stimulate the design of tiles for improved slip resistance. The purpose of the project is to deliver a draft standard document to specify the characteristics of slip-resistant surfaces. SlipSTD Web Site www.slipstd.com