Home · The test
The pendulum test
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, using the correct slider: the shod-condition rubber for most areas, the barefoot rubber for wet rooms and pool surrounds.
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- BS EN 16165 — the current standard for measuring surface slip resistance (it superseded BS EN 13036-4).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.
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Know where your floors stand
A fixed quote, a discreet visit and a UKAS-accredited report you can rely on.
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