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Method & accreditation
The pendulum test, and the standards behind it
The pendulum is the HSE’s preferred method because it works in the wet conditions where slips actually happen.
A weighted arm swings a rubber slider across the floor to reproduce the moment a heel slips, and measures how much the floor holds it back — the Pendulum Test Value (PTV). We test wet as well as dry, with the correct slider for how the floor is used.
36 or above is the low-risk threshold — roughly a one-in-a-million chance of a slip.
The standards
- BS 7976-2 — 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- BS EN 16165 — the current standard for measuring surface slip resistance (it superseded BS EN 13036-4).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 in practice.
Why UKAS accreditation matters
Anyone can buy a pendulum and quote a number. As a UKAS-accredited laboratory (UKAS Testing Laboratory No. 7933, ISO/IEC 17025) we can show the calibration, verified sliders and method behind every result — the audit trail an insurer, the HSE or a court looks for. And because we don’t sell flooring or treatments, nothing influences the figure.
Start with a quote
It all begins with step one. Tell us about your floors and we’ll take it from there.
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