The UK’s independent authority on slip resistance

How regularly should testing be conducted in a floor?

At least annually.

Floors failing to achieve the required 36+PTV in the conditions of end use should be reassessed immediately after improvements have been made. There is no value in building up a record of a noncompliant surface over time.

Floors achieving 36+PTV in the conditions of end use should be retested regularly but the period between tests should be determined based on factors such as the PTV achieved, variations across the surface, flooring type, traffic and recontamination rates and previous recorded PTV’s.

There is no hard guidance on periods between testing, ultimately a constant record of compliant surfaces is the aim. Surfaces subject to varying contamination and cleaning regimes are more likely to generate varying slip resistances and so warrant a more frequent assessment.

It should be noted that the slip resistance of a surface will, in most cases, inevitably change over time, even if that surface has been subject to an anti-slip treatment. Wet slip resistance depends heavily on the roughness of both the macro and micro profile. Macro profile edges wear over time, reducing the effectiveness with which they cut through a lubricating film and into the shoe sole. Micro profiles are subject to wear, but also become clogged with dirt and/or cleaning residues over time, smoothing the surface and reducing the effective dispersal of a lubricating film. The best way to combat losses in slip resistance are with an effective cleaning regime.

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