What our Customers say…”FloorSlip is one of the best sources for information and services on Floor Safety and Floor Testing …and the Expert Witness reports for Slip Injury Lawyers are clear and unequivocal to assist in winning cases”

WHERE WE FLOOR TEST

Cheap Floor Tests for Businesses and Lawyers available in In all Major UK Cities and nearby Towns including Floor Testing in Scotland – Aberdeen, Glasgow, Edinburgh, Perth, Stirling, Inverness and fife / Floor Safety Risk Assessments in North East England – Middlesborough, South Shields, Newcastle, Stockton on Tees, Darlington / Floor Pendulum Testing in North West England – Manchester, Lancaster, Liverpool, Runcorn, Preston, Blackpool, Blackburn Bury, Bolton, Warrington, Widnes, St.Helens (Cheshire) Birkenhead, Ellesmere Port, Chester, Crewe, Oldham, Stockport, Trafford Park. Rochdale, Congleton, Sandbach Macclesfield, / Floor Pendulum Tests in Wales in Cardiff, Newport, Swansea, Colwyn, Rhyl, Bangor / Pendulum Floor Slip Tests in Northern Central England – Sheffield, Leeds, Bradford (Yorkshire), Rotherham, Wakefield, / Slip Resistance Testing in East England in Hull, Humberside and Lincoln / BS7976-2 Pendulum Tests in the Midlands in– Nottingham, Derby, Rugby, Stoke, Stafford, Birmingham, Wolverhampton, Worcester, / Pendulum Flooring Tests in Central England – Northampton, Rugby, Derby, Oxford, Cambridge, Peterborough / HSE and BS7976 Approved Floor Testing in London and Home Counties – Watford, Milton Keynes, St.Albans, Cambridge, Newbury, Reading, Andover, Heathrow / Slip Injury Floor Tests in South England – Portsmouth, Brighton, Eastbourne, Southampton, Bournemouth, Salisbury, Isle of Man / Floor Testing in Slip Accident Claims in South West England – Swindon, Bristol, Bath, Plymouth, Exeter, Falmouth, Cheltenham, Gloucester, Taunton, Warwick / Cheap Floor Testing in South East England – Dover, Margate, Rochester, Folkestone, Hastings, Tunbridge Wells,

FloorSlip Ltd – Head Office - Preston UK - Registered Limited Company 07757686

UK Specialists in H&S Approved Floor Pendulum Testing for Businesses and Expert Witness Services for Slip Injury Lawyers

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News - BS 7976 is to be replaced by BS-EN 16165 - circa 2022

Recurring Floor Safety Issues

Those items highlighted in red are, in our experience, the main items which cause the majority of floor slip accidents.

They should not be considered in isolation, the type of floor laid will depend upon the use a floor is intended for and the type of environmental conditions and contamination it will be subject to. The floor matting will then boost slip prevention by providing an effective barrier between the outside elements and the indoor flooring environment.

Finally, the consistency and efficiency by which a floor is cleaned and the floor products used will decide if the floor maintains its slip resistant qualities or loses grip potential through poor floor cleaning techniques

Floor Management Problems

The items highlighted in amber are, again in our experience, those items which if effectively managed will largely eliminate floor slip injury incidents.

Owners and Managers sometimes fail to execute their legal duty of care and implement an effective Floor Risk Management Plan, as a result Slip Testing is performed on an ad-hoc basis or only after a slip has occurred.

Employees are not always encouraged or applauded for reporting floor slip incidents or a slip potential, in fact quite the opposite, they are made to feel their or position job is at risk if they do report a slip problem.

Floor Slip Prevention

FloorSlip know the Prevention of Floor Slips is not always easy. The Pie Chart and the table Table below shows the majority of factors involved. The six items highlighted in Red are, in our opinion, the reasons why slip injury accidents occur. The three highlighted in Amber show that a better understanding or attitude to Floor Testing, Risk Assessments and Floor Health and Safety could and Floor Pendulum Testing have prevented many slip injuries occurring

Item	Manageable	Examples of items that contribute to Floor Slips
Floor Use	Yes	The main issue is the floor is used for a different purpose than the one it was originally intended for. Running, Pushing and Turning quickly on the floors will also contribute to floor slips and falls
Floor Contamination	Sometimes	Spillages of environmental contamination such as Oil, Cooking Fat, Grease, Sawdust, Blood, Talc, Shampoo, Soap and Water, the last being the greatest cause of floor slip accidents
Flooring Material Type	Yes	Hard smooth floor surfaces contributing to floor slip especially when wet. HSE report 90% of slips occur on wet smooth slippery floors - Example are Marble, Stone, Vinyl, Steel etc
Environmental Conditions	Sometimes	Rain is probably the major culprit of floor slips aggravated by snow and ice coating a floor surface in the winter and even wind can unsettle a person on an already slippery floor, particularly if aged
Floor Cleaning	Yes	Poor floor cleaning or using incorrect methods or the wrong floor products causes floor slip. It is recommended wet cleaning of floors is assigned to quieter times - i.e. hours of nil or low footfall.
Door Entry Matting	Yes	Incorrect size and type of mats used to prevent rain water tracking to inside flooring. Limited or no drainage of the drained off water / snow melt from non slip mats. Mats causing floor trip hazards.
Fear	Yes	Employees worry reporting H & S issues will effect their positions and managers will not support them. Owners not supplying or financing safety footwear and employees won’t ask for them or wearing until worn out.
Inadequate Management	Yes	Inadequate and irregular checks; poor or no risk management, owners not refurbishing or replacing worn floors. Owners ignoring Health & Safety Requirements (even after advisement)
Failure To Test Floors	Yes	No Floor Testing carried out. Floor Tests done once and then forgotten about, annual Tests recommended. Owners & managers unaware floor tests are available or required by HSE Laws.
Floor Design Specification	Yes	Owner, Builders and designers specifying floors that look good without considering its floor slip resistance or the use the floor will be put to. Not complying with Part M Building Regulations or BS 8300
Changes of Floor Friction	Yes	Switching from one floor friction amount to a different floor friction amount (Example stepping from Marble Floor at DIN R9 to non slip Vinyl Floor at DIN R11) i.e. slippery to good or good to slippery - Read more on assessing the qualities of flooring to prevent slip
Floor Coatings worn / Floor Worn	Yes	Anti slip floors and non slip floor coatings wear out (generally quicker than hard floors). Recommend regular floor testing carried out to indicate when floor replacement of refurbishment required
Housekeeping	Yes	Failure to clear away floor spills of any description (oil, food stuffs, waste products etc). Blocking gangways and corridors with packaging, cables across walkways, obstacles and rubbish not moved
Floor Signs	Yes	Not using floor signs indicating possible wet floors, poorly placed signs, incorrect warnings, floor signs themselves causing trips, slips and falls
Slopes	Yes	Incorrect floor slip resistance or angle of slope too steep to walk safely down. Particularly pertinent to wheelchair users, aged, young and physically or mentally challenged or effected by toxic substances (Drugs / alcohol)
Disabilities	Partially	Walking with crutches, Zimmer frame, a stick or using a wheelchair all require high levels of slip resistant floor materials and persons using can not respond as quickly to a possible floor slip
Lighting	Yes	Poor or broken lighting incorrect lighting or even too bright lighting will cause floor slips. Flooring edges not marked and merging together such as the edges of steps also are known to cause slip accidents
Footwear	Employees - Yes, else sometimes	Non slip footwear can only be controlled in the workplace and it is the responsibility of owners to provide it (at no cost). HSE advised some shoes claiming to be floor slip resistant are not effective enough
Behaviour	Rarely	The speed of walking, a persons gait, the length of stride can all contribute to floor slips. Also running in areas where it is not expected - example in a shopping centre floored with Terrazzo Marble floors
People	No	Elderly persons, the young are inexperienced, persons tired, stressed, ill or under the Influence of Alcohol or Drugs (Prescription or otherwise) are all at greater risk of falling on a slippery floor