UKAS accredited pendulum surveys for distribution centres, logistics hubs, manufacturing plants and cold stores. Employer's liability claims, accident investigation, and pre-incident risk documentation.
A slip in a retail environment is almost always a public liability matter. A slip in a warehouse is almost always an employer's liability matter — and employer's liability claims settle at materially higher values. The injured party is an employee, not a visitor. The common law duty of care is higher. Documentary expectations from the HSE are more demanding. And the typical claim includes loss of earnings running into tens of thousands.
Warehouses also present specific contamination conditions that retail surveys don't address: hydraulic oil, diesel, battery acid, shrink-wrap fragments, glycol from cold-store condensation, and the concrete dust from pallet movement. Each of these materially affects the PTV of the same floor.
Power-floated concrete slabs are the default in UK warehousing. When first laid, a power-floated concrete floor often tests below PTV 36 in the wet — it is specified for flatness and durability, not slip resistance. Yard-to-warehouse transition zones and dock levellers are particular claim hotspots because of water tracked in from outside.
Glycol-based refrigerant condensation produces a slippery film on floors adjacent to chillers. Testing in cold stores uses a cold-adapted procedure — slider conditioning and water contamination must account for the reduced temperature.
Resin-screed and polyurethane-screed floors are common in food manufacturing and pharmaceutical production. These floors are specified to be cleanable and chemical-resistant — slip resistance is often secondary, and after 3–5 years of cleaning regimes the PTV can drop materially from the as-installed value.
The walkways between racking in a pick-and-pack DC accumulate cardboard dust, shrink-wrap film and spilled product. Testing these walkways with both dry and wet-contaminated pendulum provides the baseline needed for an adequate risk assessment.
The transition between external yard concrete and internal warehouse floor is one of the most-claimed locations in the industrial estate. Water, mud, and diesel from tyres are tracked across the threshold. Pendulum testing dry, wet, and oil-contaminated characterises the real risk.
An employee slip has triggered a RIDDOR notification. The HSE inspector will ask what slip resistance testing was done before the incident. A rapid UKAS accredited survey within 5 working days of the incident captures the as-found condition and documents the floor's PTV at the time.
Under Regulation 3 of the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999, a suitable and sufficient risk assessment is required. For warehouses where slips are a realistic hazard, that means measured PTV evidence — not a visual inspection signed off by an internal competent person.
A new build or refurbishment is underway. BS 8204-2 specifies minimum slip resistance for concrete wearing screeds. BS 8204-6 covers synthetic resin flooring. A UKAS accredited acceptance test after installation, before go-live, documents compliance with the specification.
An existing floor is failing and the facilities team is considering anti-slip coating, shot-blasting, diamond grinding or chemical etch treatment. Pre- and post-treatment UKAS pendulum testing evidences whether the treatment actually worked.
| Floor type | Typical new-build PTV (wet) | Common in-service issue |
|---|---|---|
| Power-floated concrete | 30–42 | Surface polishing from pallet wheels |
| Diamond-ground concrete | 40–55 | Uneven finish over seals |
| Epoxy resin screed | 35–50 | Wear through on pedestrian routes |
| Polyurethane screed | 45–65 | Chemical residue build-up |
| Anti-slip coated concrete | 45–70 | Coating wear on high-traffic lines |
| Painted concrete walkways | 20–35 | Frequently under 36 when wet |
| Dock leveller metal plate | 15–25 | High risk when wet |
Painted walkways — a specific warning. Painted pedestrian walkways on warehouse floors are an extremely common feature. When wet, standard floor paint typically tests below PTV 25 — legally classified as high slip risk. If your site has painted pedestrian walkways, a specific test of those walkways is strongly recommended.
Warehouse floors have a dual role — they must be slip-safe for pedestrians while providing adequate grip for forklift trucks, electric pallet trucks and automated guided vehicles. Anti-slip treatments that are too aggressive can cause accelerated tyre wear and handling issues on materials-handling equipment. Our surveys account for this by identifying slip-test results alongside an assessment of vehicle-trafficked zones versus pedestrian-only zones.
The HSE publishes sector-specific guidance including "Preventing slips and trips at work" (INDG225) and the industrial floor guidance within "Assessing the slip resistance of flooring". Both documents treat pendulum testing as the primary evidential method. A warehouse risk assessment that omits pendulum data is open to challenge on its adequacy under MHSWR Regulation 3.
From the field. See Case 3 in our case studies — a warehouse RIDDOR investigation where a painted pedestrian walkway tested at wet PTV 19-23 — classified as high slip potential.
Our UKAS accredited pendulum testing for this sector is delivered across every UK region:
South East England · South West England · East of England · West Midlands · East Midlands · Yorkshire & the Humber · North West England · North East England · Scotland · Wales · Northern Ireland
View all 48 UK city locations or request a fixed-fee quote for your site.
UKAS ISO 17025 accredited pendulum testing across the UK. Report within 5 working days.