What testing is available to substantiate slip resistant claims by footwear manufacturers?

All manufacturers of CE/UKCA certified PPE footwear should be able to provide test data to the relevant harmonised standards. A manufacturer is not legally obligated to provide test data, but a reputable supplier would ordinarily be willing to do so. The testing may have been conducted to a number of different harmonised standards, including EN ISO 20345:2011, EN ISO 20347:2012, EN ISO 20345:2022 (+ Amd 1 :2024) or EN ISO 20347:2022 (+ Amd 1 :2024). The testing conducted will be given as a Co-efficient of Friction and generally the higher the value the better the performance in the specific conditions of test. If you are making comparisons between products, it is possible to directly compare the values for the same condition of test but also consider the suitability of the sole for outdoor use, cleaning and so on. It is not as simple as to say the higher the number the better.
In addition to the harmonised standards, there are a number of other test methods for slip resistance and any additional data could be useful in determining slip performance of footwear in certain conditions.

It is important to note that lab-based slip testing is not a good prediction of real-world slip performance and rarely reflect the work environment, we always recommend trialling the footwear in your workplace.