With 95% of major slips resulting in broken bones, it’s no wonder that legislation exists to ensure that surfaces meet required slip resistance standards. Relinea is committed to ensuring that we always offer our customers the highest quality, safest, and most durable GRP products. That’s why we carried out the pendulum test to ensure we are delivering the highest slip resistance possible.
Research carried out by the Health and Safety Executive, in conjunction with the UK Slip Resistance Group (UKSRG) and the British Standards Institution, has shown that scientific test instruments such as the Pendulum CoF test can accurately assess the slipperiness of flooring materials.
Slip resistance testing is designed to assess flooring and calculate its slip risk in line with HSE Slip Resistance guidelines. By testing the slip resistance of our grating surfaces, you can rest assured that your GRP flooring, walkways, and platforms conform to workplace regulations as required.
The Test
The testing is based on a swinging, imitation heel sweeping over a set area of flooring in a controlled manner. The slipperiness of the flooring has a direct and measurable effect on the pendulum test value (PTV) given.
The required PTV for the GRP flooring for your project should be determined by the intended end use of the floor surface. Higher PTVs may be required if walking on a non-level surface, or an otherwise higher-risk surface such as stairs or somewhere wet such as a car washroom or marina steps.
For the test, four specimens of our anti-slip flooring, each bonded with different types of grit – Grit 14, Grit 16, Grit 20, and Grit 40 – were assessed for their dry and wet slip resistance properties using a pendulum test. You can see from the tables above just how well our surfaces performed. Our 40 grit achieved an incredible score of 75 and 79 in the wet, (against the low slip threshold of just 36), making it ideal for almost all flooring conditions. To put it into context, a PTV of 20 indicates a 1 in 2 probability of a slip, and a PVT of 36 indicates a 1 in 1 million probability of a slip.
You can download our full test here: Relinea Anti -Slip Pendulum Test
Are Your Floors Safe?
Slips, trips, and falls are common occurrences, especially in areas with high footfall. These accidents and the ensuing injuries and can easily be avoided by treating steps and floors that get slippery.
A good place to start is to identify the outdoor areas used by pedestrians most likely to be affected by wet and ice, for example: – building entrances, car parks, pedestrian walkways, shortcuts, sloped areas, and areas constantly in the shade or wet. Health and Safety regulations also mean you must ensure internal floors aren’t slippery too, which easily occurs in the wetter months.
If you identify areas where you could use anti-slip solutions, the Relinea ‘ULTRA’ GRP anti-slip range is manufactured with ‘embedded grit’ technology. This makes it ideal for high-traffic applications, including stair treads, nosings, and ladder rung covers. All of our anti-slip products can be made to any RAL colour, thickness, and fire rating. Our GRP anti-slip products can be conveniently retrofitted onto existing steps or walkways. They are the ideal solution to help prevent costly slips & trips, whilst meeting Disability Discrimination Act (DDA) legislation and BS8300 Building Regulations.
View our full range of anti slip solutions HERE.
