Home / The tests

Method & accreditation

Two readings, one straight answer

Grip cannot be judged by eye, so we take it two complementary ways — and we are accredited for both.

How the pendulum works

Grip starts with the pendulum. A weighted arm draws a rubber slider over the floor, mimicking a heel that slides out, and logs the result as a Pendulum Test Value. We take it wet as well as dry, in three directions; a reading of 36 or above sits in the low-risk band, which the HSE treats as the line to clear.

The second measure: texture

Then there’s texture. Where floors meet water, mud or grease — and in a rural county, plenty do — the fine surface roughness (in microns) gives moisture a way off the surface so it keeps its grip. It runs with the pendulum rather than replacing it, and over time it reveals a floor wearing smooth before it becomes a hazard.

The standards

• BS 7976-2 — the 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• BS EN 16165 — the current standard for measuring surface slip resistance (it superseded BS EN 13036-4).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 (we are a member).

Whoever is responsible for a building holds the duty — employers, facilities managers, and in care settings the Care Inspectorate, which expects slip risk to be assessed and managed across Scotland.

Laboratory product testing

Beyond site work, our environmentally controlled laboratory (to ISO 291) works through more than 300 flooring products a year — tile, stone, resin, vinyl and decking — and can issue slip-resistance certification or support product development.

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