Kitchen floor slip testing in Sunderland
Grease, water and oil turn a kitchen floor into the most dangerous surface on site. We measure how it behaves when it’s contaminated — and put a number on it.
Accredited. Independent. Defensible.
Every test is carried out by a UKAS-accredited technician and reported to the standard the HSE, building-control bodies, insurers and the courts recognise. The full range of methods, properly documented — so the result isn’t just a number, it’s evidence.
Why kitchen floors catch people out
Quarry tile or resin can look completely sound and still let go the instant oil, water or food debris hits it. Polishing, the wrong cleaning chemicals and ordinary wear quietly drag the Pendulum Test Value down over months.
So we test wet and contaminated — the way the floor actually is mid-shift — not in some idealised dry state. The result reflects the real risk your staff are standing on.
The line that matters: a wet PTV of 36 or above is the HSE’s low-risk benchmark. Below it, the risk — and the liability — is foreseeable.
Who we test for in Sunderland
Roker and Seaburn seafront kitchens, city-centre and riverside restaurants and bars, hotels, contract caterers, university catering and food production across Wearside.
When to test
On a new floor or coating, after any slip or complaint, and at least once a year in a busy kitchen where wear and cleaning regimes shift over time.
The methods, and when we use them
We pick the method that fits the surface and how it’s used — then document it to the standard the HSE, insurers and the courts expect.
Pendulum (PTV) testing
The HSE’s preferred in-situ method. A calibrated pendulum produces a Pendulum Test Value, wet and dry, to BS EN 16165.
Shod & barefoot
Slider 96 stands in for footwear; Slider 55 for barefoot areas such as pools, showers and changing rooms.
Surface roughness
Microroughness profiling, read alongside the pendulum data to judge slip potential under wet contamination.
R-rating & ABC
Findings related to ramp-test R-ratings (DIN 51130) and barefoot A/B/C ratings where a specification calls for them.
Questions, answered
Q01How slippery is a typical kitchen floor?
It varies hugely. A floor that grips when dry can drop below the PTV 36 threshold the moment grease or water lands on it — which is exactly why we test wet and contaminated, not dry.
Q02Will the test interrupt service?
No. A test takes a few minutes over about a square metre. We work to your hours — before opening or after close — so service isn’t affected.
Q03Can you test after an accident?
Yes, and we’d recommend it. An independent, UKAS-accredited PTV report records the floor’s condition and is accepted by insurers and the courts.