Surface/Material Slip Resistance Tests

DABROS Floor Surveys Ltd is an independent company that offers a nationwide service to customers all over the UK. Our staff is fully trained to carry out Slip Resistance tests to assess floor or surface slip potential in accordance to BS 7976-2:2002+A1:2013.

This is the preferred method for assessment of Floor Slip Resistance recommended by the Health & Safety Executive and the current UK Slip Resistance Group Guidelines (UKSRG) 2011 Issue 4.

Slip Risk Assessment Services using the Pendulum can be carried out:

1. At Client’s premises at any location chosen by the Client,
2. At our premises (samples need to be sent to us directly)

The Pendulum is an essential part of risk management policies in the following areas:

1. Road surface testing
2. Testing of new road surface materials under development
3. Testing of aggregates in the PSV (polished stone value) test
4. Testing of floors and pedestrian walkways
5. Flooring materials product development
6. Accident investigations, both traffic and pedestrian
7. Litigation investigations

It is worth noting, that the Slip Resistance results measured using the Pendulum Tester are the only evidence accepted by UK courts in civil slip injury claims.

FACTS

Slips and trips are the most common cause of injury at work. On average, they cause over a third of all major injuries and over 40% of all reported injuries to members of the public. Health & Safety Executive (HSE) statistics suggest that most of these accidents are slips, most of which happen when floor surfaces are contaminated (water, talc, grease, etc)

Slips, trips and falls happen for a number of reasons. Slips and falls will occur mostly in places where there is a slippery surface or the surface is contaminated or wet. This may be due to poor signage, especially if the floor is wet or not properly cleaned and dried.

They can lead to:

  1. Back injuries
  2. Bone fractures
  3. Head injuries
  4. Long term injuries
  5. Paralysis

THE LAW

According to The Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 requires employers to ensure the health and safety of all employees and anyone affected by their work, so far as is reasonably practicable, which means balancing the level of risk against the measures needed to control the risk in terms of money, time or trouble. This includes taking steps to control slip and trip risks.

Also,
The Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations 1992 (Regulation 12) require floors to be suitable, in good condition and free from obstructions. People should be able to move around safely. Another words shops, restaurants, facilities managers, local authorities have to ensure the surface of the floor is not slippery to prevent risk of injury to any person.

And finally,
The Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999 (Regulation 3) include duties on employers to assess risks (including slip and trip risks) and take action where necessary.

THE PENDULUM

The Pendulum measures the frictional resistance between a rubber slider mounted on the end of a pendulum arm and the test surface. This provides highway and flooring engineers with a routine method of checking the resistance of wet and dry surfaces to slipping and skidding.

The Pendulum CoF test (also known as the Portable Skid Resistance Tester, the British Pendulum, the TRRL Pendulum, the Wessex Skid Tester, the Pendulum Skid Tester, the Skid Resistance Tester).

It is the subject of a British Standard, BS 7976: Parts1-3, 2002.

Research has confirmed the Pendulum to be a reliable and accurate test, so HSE has adopted it as its standard test method for assessing floor slipperiness in both dry and contaminated conditions. However, to use it reliably, it needs to be operated and interpreted by a suitably trained and competent person.

For profiled floors, several tests in different directions may be required to obtain a good understanding of profiled surfaces. So, only an experienced operator should assess these types of floors.

ASSESSMENT OF SLIP POTENTIAL OF THE FLOOR

Research carried out by Health & Safety Laboratory (HSL), in conjunction with the UK Slip Resistance Group (UKSRG) and the British Standards Institution, has shown that commercially available, portable scientific test instruments can accurately assess the slipperiness of flooring materials.
The method has been used as the basis of HSE and local authority advice and enforcement action.

The methodology is based on using two instruments:
1. A Pendulum, used in the Pendulum coefficient of friction (CoF) test (HSE’s preferred method of slipperiness assessment),
2. A surface microroughness meter.

This methodology is used to assess the Slip Resistance of the floor or surface in-situ as well as for laboratory-based assessment. 

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