Selecting Slip Resistant Pedestrian Surfaces

The Law

requires safe access and egress for work
places a duty on those who design buildings or structures to ensure that they are safe
obliges those who design, supply and install flooring to ensure it is properly tested, safe and has information about safe use, maintenance and cleaning. That information may also be in the Construction Regulations safety file

Regulations require that

workplaces are clean
floors, outdoor workstations, work at height surfaces and working platforms are not slippery
floors do not have dangerous bumps, holes or slopes
floors are fixed and stable

Level changes - avoid unnecessary level changes. For work stairs and steps consider
1. Environmental Controls
2. Hazardous Steps
3. Handrail(s)
Wet and contaminated areas - identify foreseeable contaminated areas such as wet rooms, wash-up areas, bathrooms
- Employee who slipped in toilet and fractured his wrist awarded €65,000 (April, 2018) - "...no good reason not to use non-slip tiles in a bathroom ..."
Vehicles - see our Vehicles Slips, Trips and Falls Information Sheet and Metal and Profiled Surfaces Information
Walkways - identify walkways
Entrances - the safest approach may be to ensure the floor areas inside and outside the entrance are slip resistant when wet
The Mapping tool may help identify other site-specific risk areas

To determine the slip resistance required from a pedestrian surface, complete a slip risk assessment considering future risks including
1. Contamination including spills, cleaning and ice
2. Pedestrians including access, footwear and behaviour
3. Surface including slip history, slip data and slip-resistance measurements
4. Other slip factors, such as sectoral high risk areas, like entrances for most sectors or specific workplace risk factors, like deep fat fryers

Consider the foreseeable contaminant, for example water, oil, grease
Consider specification of slip resistance when installed/ in final use conditions, rather than relying on ex-factory results. This should account for any changes due to installation
Consider specification of a wet Pendulum Test Value (PTV) of 36+ for the surface as installed/ in final use conditions - see Measuring Slip Resistance
Remember that r-ratings start at 9 (high risk) and go to 13 (low risk) - see Measuring Slip Resistance
Consider specification of validation testing to confirm the slip resistance of the finished pedestrian surface
Consider specification that the required slip resistance should last a stated number of years in normal use conditions
Floor surfaces with directional slip resistance should be fitted to provide slip resistance in the main direction of travel especially on walkways and stairs
For step edges/ nosings, remember the importance of slip resistance and visual contrast

HSL UK concluded “the ability to clean a typical hospital floor to a hygienic standard is not influenced by the slip resistance”
In selecting a slip resistant floor, identify how it should be cleaned and ensure that information is communicated
The fact that a slip resistant floor requires more than a mop and bucket for cleaning should not prevent it's use
Consider the need to close sections of floor for wet-cleaning, for example, a fixed retractable cordon system

The surface should provide continued slip resistance for its anticipated life, allowing for predicted wear and tear
- This can be tested, for example, using the SATRA Pedatron Test Machine STM 528

A pedestrian surface must, at least, have information about safe use, maintenance and cleaning
That information may also be in the Construction Regulations safety file

Heating, ventilation and drainage should assist removal of surface water, contamination
Where necessary provide a fall to assist drainage

As required, provide shelter from the elements to reduce slip risk, e.g. entrance canopies, lobbied entrances, covered walkways