Slip testing in Warwickshire, made clear.

It’s the measurement of how much grip a floor gives underfoot. The HSE’s preferred method swings a calibrated rubber slider across the surface — wet and dry — and records a Pendulum Test Value (PTV) for each area. Where floors get contaminated, surface roughness (Rz) is measured alongside it.

Grip is invisible, and it changes as floors wear, as polish and residue build up, and as cleaning routines change. A floor that was safe when laid may not be now. Measuring is the only way to know — and to prove — where it stands.

Slips and trips are the single most common cause of major injury in UK workplaces, and account for over a quarter of all non-fatal workplace accidents. Source: HSE.

A weighted arm swings a calibrated rubber slider across the floor to reproduce a slipping heel, and records the grip as a Pendulum Test Value, tested wet and dry in three swing directions.

36 or above is the HSE low-risk threshold.

A floor needs enough microscopic roughness to break through contaminants and grip footwear. Roughness testing measures that in microns and works best alongside the pendulum — especially in kitchens, factories and other areas that get wet or greasy. Below 10 is high risk, 10–20 moderate, above 20 low.

Both. Most slips happen when a floor is wet or contaminated, so we test in the wet as well as the dry to reflect real conditions. More on both tests →

The duty holder’s — employers, occupiers, facilities managers and landlords; anyone who controls a floor people use.

The Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 sets the general duty; the Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations 1992 require floors to be suitable and not slippery so far as is reasonably practicable; and you must assess the risk. A measured PTV turns that assessment into evidence.

In care settings in England, the CQC expects providers to manage risks to people’s safety, which includes slips and falls. An accredited slip-resistance report is objective evidence the risk has been assessed and controlled.

There’s no fixed price list, because no two sites are the same — but no games either. The price depends on how many areas and floor types you need covered, the size and access of the site, and whether you need the pendulum alone or pendulum plus roughness. Tell us the details and a fixed, no-obligation quote comes back, usually the same working day.

A Pendulum Test Value (and Rz where relevant) for every area, a plain low / moderate / high verdict, independent recommendations, and a UKAS-accredited report you can give to an insurer, the HSE or the CQC.

Most sites are tested in a single visit, with the accredited report typically following within two to three working days.

Accreditation is the audit trail that an insurer, the HSE or a court looks for. It means the method behind every result is independently verified — not just an opinion or an un-accredited number.

Yes. Surface Performance has no connection to any flooring manufacturer, treatment company or equipment maker, and takes no commission from anyone. We test floors; we don’t sell flooring or treatments — so nothing influences the result. It’s the same accredited lab trusted on sites from Amazon and Gatwick to British Airways and TUI.

Yes — our environmentally controlled laboratory (to ISO 291) tests more than 300 flooring products a year and can issue slip-resistance certification or support product development.

We can test after an incident to establish where a floor stood, wet and dry. Holding accredited reports is also a recognised way to support reduced insurance premiums; industry estimates suggest regular testing can cut the likelihood of a claim by around half.

Hospitality and tourism, healthcare and care homes, automotive and engineering, retail and leisure, education, logistics and industry, and the public realm. See sectors →

The whole county — Stratford, Warwick, Leamington, Rugby, Nuneaton and beyond — the full CV postcode area, and nationwide too. See coverage →