Home / The tests
What actually happens on site
Two checks, one honest answer
Grip can’t be judged by eye, so we take it two ways that back each other up — and we’re accredited for both.
| 0–24 | High risk |
| 25–35 | Moderate |
| 36 and up | Low risk |
| Under 10 | High risk |
| 10–20 | Moderate |
| Over 20 | Low risk |
The pendulum (PTV)
A weighted arm swings a rubber slider across the floor to mimic a heel sliding out, and we read the drag as a Pendulum Test Value — wet and dry, in three directions. Hit 36 and the surface counts as low-risk; the HSE treats that as the line worth clearing.
Surface roughness (Rz)
Where spills and grease are part of the day, we add a roughness reading in microns. Enough micro-texture lets a wet floor still bite; too little, and water turns it to ice. Tracked over time, it shows a floor wearing smooth before anyone goes over.
What we work to
- BS 7976-2 — how the pendulum is set up and run.
- BS EN 16165 — the current standard for measuring surface slip resistance (it replaced BS EN 13036-4).
- UKSRG guidance — how the numbers are read (we’re a member).
Whoever holds the keys holds the duty — employers, building managers, and in Welsh care settings Care Inspectorate Wales (CIW), which expects slip risk to be actively assessed and controlled.
Why independent matters
Surface Performance fits nothing and sells nothing — no tie to any flooring maker, coating firm or kit supplier, and no commission in the background. We’re UKAS-accredited (UKAS Testing Laboratory No. 7933, ISO/IEC 17025) and recognised by RoSPA, FIFA, World Rugby, the ITF and FIH for related work. The number is the number.
In the lab, too
Off site, our environmentally controlled laboratory (held to ISO 291) puts more than 300 flooring products a year through their paces — tile, stone, resin, vinyl, decking — and can certify slip resistance or help develop a product before it ships.
Tell us about the floor
Want it tested?
Surface, rough size, where you are in Gwynedd — that’s all we need to send a fixed quote.