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 draws a rubber slider over the floor, imitating a heel as it begins to slip, and the resistance is logged as a Pendulum Test Value. We record it wet and dry, in three directions; 36 or above falls within the low-risk band, which the HSE treats as the line to clear.

Surface roughness (Rz)

Texture is measured too. Where floors meet water, salt spray or grease — and on this coast, that’s most of them — the micro-roughness (in microns) gives moisture a route away so the surface keeps its grip. It works with the pendulum rather than replacing it, and 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• BS EN 16165 — the current standard for measuring surface slip resistance (it superseded BS EN 13036-4).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 care settings the Care Inspectorate, which expects slip risk to be assessed and managed across Scotland.

Laboratory product testing

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

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