Independent & UKAS-accredited · Wiltshire
Floor slip-resistance testing across Wiltshire.
We measure how much grip your floors really have — wet and dry — using the pendulum test, the method the HSE and the courts rely on. You get one clear number per area, and a report you can put in front of an inspector, an insurer or a solicitor.
Pendulum Test Value — 36 or above is a low slip risk
- Method
- Pendulum (PTV)
- Tested to
- BS 7976 / EN 13036-4
- Safe from
- PTV 36+
- Report in
- 2–3 days
- Coverage
- All of Wiltshire
The grip on a floor isn’t something you can judge by eye
A floor can look spotless and still be dangerous the moment it’s wet. The only way to know how much slip resistance it actually has is to measure it. That’s what we do: an independent, on-site pendulum test that gives every area a Pendulum Test Value, and tells you plainly whether it’s safe, borderline or below standard.
We’re a UKAS-accredited testing firm working across Wiltshire and the South West. We don’t sell flooring, coatings or treatments, so we’ve no reason to tell you a floor needs work that it doesn’t — the number is the number.
How it works
What the pendulum test actually measures
The pendulum is a weighted arm with a rubber slider on the end, set up to imitate a heel striking the floor at the moment a slip would start. It swings down, sweeps across the surface and rises again; the more grip the floor has, the more the swing is slowed. That loss of energy is read straight off the scale as the Pendulum Test Value.
Because slips almost always happen on contaminated floors, we test wet as well as dry — water is the usual culprit, but we can test with whatever the floor really faces. The result is a set of PTVs you can act on, not a vague reassurance.
Reading the result
The PTV scale
The figure is interpreted the same way by the HSE and the UK Slip Resistance Group: the higher the number, the lower the chance of a slip.
| Pendulum Test Value (PTV) | Slip potential | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| 0–24 | High | The floor is unsafe in the tested condition and needs action. |
| 25–35 | Moderate | A borderline floor — manageable with the right cleaning and care, but worth watching. |
| 36 or above | Low | Roughly a one-in-a-million chance of a slip — the level the HSE regards as safe. |
The same floor can give different readings for shod and barefoot use, which is why the right rubber slider matters — more on that in the test and the standards.
Why it matters
What the law expects of you
Slips are the most common cause of serious workplace injury in the UK
If someone is hurt on your floor, the question that follows is simple: can you show it was safe? A dated, measured pendulum report is the strongest answer there is — far stronger than “we mop regularly.”
Between the Health and Safety at Work Act, the Workplace Regulations, the Equality Act and a duty of care to everyone who walks through your door, the responsibility to keep floors safe sits with you. Testing is how you discharge it — and how you prove you did.
Who we test for
Slip testing by sector
The duty is the same everywhere, but the risk lives in different places depending on the building. Here’s where floors tend to fail in each.
Care homes & healthcare
Care homes, nursing homes, GP and dental surgeries, clinics and hospitals.
Read more →Pubs, hotels & hospitality
Pubs, bars, restaurants, cafés, hotels and function venues.
Read more →Shops, supermarkets & retail
Independent shops, supermarkets, retail parks and shopping centres.
Read more →Schools, colleges & universities
Nurseries, schools, sixth-forms, colleges and universities.
Read more →Offices, warehouses & industry
Offices, business parks, warehouses, factories and industrial units.
Read more →Councils, leisure & public buildings
Councils, leisure trusts, transport hubs, museums and visitor attractions.
Read more →Across the county
Where we cover in Wiltshire
We test right across Wiltshire, from Salisbury and the plain to Swindon and the Marlborough downs. Pick your town, or just send a postcode with your enquiry.
Salisbury
Pendulum slip testing in Salisbury — the cathedral, the market square and the water meadows.
Salisbury →Swindon
Pendulum slip testing in Swindon — the railway heritage and the town centre.
Swindon →Trowbridge
Pendulum slip testing in Trowbridge — the county town and its old woollen mills.
Trowbridge →Chippenham
Pendulum slip testing in Chippenham — the market town on the Avon.
Chippenham →Devizes
Pendulum slip testing in Devizes — the Kennet & Avon canal and the market place.
Devizes →Marlborough
Pendulum slip testing in Marlborough — the broad high street and the downs.
Marlborough →If a floor falls short
A low score isn’t the end of the story
Plenty of floors that fail a first test can be brought back above 36 without being ripped out — often by changing how they’re cleaned, sometimes with an anti-slip treatment or the right matting. Because we’re independent, we’ll tell you the realistic options and then re-test to prove the fix worked.
Common questions
A few things people ask
Will testing disrupt our trading?
No. A test is quick and quiet, we work around you, and there’s nothing to clear up afterwards. Most sites carry on as normal.
How soon do we get the report?
Usually within two to three working days of the visit — a clear PTV per area, a plain-English verdict and practical next steps.
Do you test wet and dry?
Yes. Dry tells you the best case; wet tells you what happens in the conditions that actually cause slips. The wet figure is the one that matters most.
Request a quote
Tell us about your floors
Send the surface type, the rough area in square metres and where you are in Wiltshire. You’ll get a fixed price and the next available date — no obligation, no sales call.
We test independently: we don’t sell flooring or treatments, so the result you get is the floor’s, not a sales pitch.
Email info@surfaceperformance.com
Phone 0208 246 5562