A compliance briefing for duty holders
Slip safety in Buckinghamshire: the duty, and how to meet it
Independent, UKAS-accredited testing · Safety by choice, not by chance
Fig. 1 — the Pendulum Test Value scale. 36+ is low slip risk.
The duty of care is yours
In the UK, every employer and every occupier of a building has a legal duty to keep its floors safe for the people who use them — staff, customers and the public alike. Managing the risk of slips is part of that duty, and it sits with you, the duty holder.
Employers, occupiers, facilities managers and landlords — anyone who controls a floor that people walk on.
What the law expects
The Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 sets the general duty. The Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations 1992 require floors to be suitable and not slippery so far as is reasonably practicable. The Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999 require you to assess the risk. In care settings, the CQC expects slip risk to be actively managed as part of safe care.
HSAWA 1974 · Workplace Regs 1992 (reg.12) · Management Regs 1999 · CQC (care settings, England).
You cannot see slip resistance
Grip is invisible, and it changes over time as floors wear, as polish and residue build up, and as cleaning routines change. A floor that was safe when it was laid may not be now. The only way to know where you stand is to measure it — with the pendulum (PTV) and, where contamination matters, surface roughness (Rz).
If it hasn’t been measured, it hasn’t been assessed — it’s been assumed.
What happens after a slip
When someone slips, the first question is whether the floor was safe and whether you took reasonable steps. A claim, an HSE investigation or enforcement can follow. A dated, UKAS-accredited report is the evidence that you assessed and managed the risk — far stronger than ‘we clean regularly’.
An accredited report is independent evidence; an opinion or an un-accredited number is easily challenged.
How testing discharges the duty
An independent, UKAS-accredited test turns assumption into evidence: a Pendulum Test Value for every area, a plain low / moderate / high verdict, and recommendations you can act on. Many organisations have it done annually as part of their risk assessment — which is also a recognised way to support a reduction in insurance premiums.
Annual testing, because floor performance changes over time.
The measures we use
Two HSE-recognised methods, and we’re accredited for both: the pendulum measures grip directly; surface roughness (Rz) tracks how a floor changes and matters most in contaminated areas.
| PTV | Slip risk |
|---|---|
| 0–24 | High |
| 25–35 | Moderate |
| 36 + | Low |
| Roughness (Rz) | Slip risk |
|---|---|
| Below 10 | High |
| 10–20 | Moderate |
| Above 20 | Low |
BS 7976-2 & BS EN 16165, interpreted against UKSRG guidance. We are a UKSRG member.
Independent, and accredited
This service is delivered by Surface Performance — entirely independent, with no connection to any flooring or treatment company, and nothing to sell you but the test. It’s the same accredited lab trusted on sites from Amazon and Gatwick to British Airways and TUI.
Slips and trips are the single most common cause of major injury in UK workplaces.Source: HSE
Industry estimates put the cost to employers at over £500m a year, and suggest accredited testing can cut claim risk by around half.Industry estimate
Coverage
Across Buckinghamshire
From Aylesbury and High Wycombe to the Chilterns, Milton Keynes and the south of the county — the whole HP / MK postcode area, and nationwide beyond. See coverage →
Request a quote
Send the surface type, the rough area in square metres and where you are in Buckinghamshire. A fixed, no-obligation quote comes back — usually the same working day.
Independent and ISO/IEC 17025 accredited (UKAS Testing Laboratory No. 7933). We test floors; we don’t sell flooring or treatments.
This page is general information about slip-safety duties, not legal advice. For advice on your specific obligations, consult a suitably qualified professional.