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DIN 51130 ramp testing is a German developed method for obtaining pedestrian slip resistance properties. Flooring samples are mounted horizontally on the ramp tester and an operator clad in safety boots performs a standardised walk up and down the sample. The sample is slowly inclined and the process repeated while motor oil is fed onto the surface. The angle at which the subject slips is recorded.

   A video of the similar "HSL ramp test" being conducted can be found as part of the HSE's STEP tool here.

The DIN 51130 standard classifies results as follows:

Classification

Angle of Slip

R9
6° - 10°
R10
10° - 19°
R11
19° - 27°
R12
27° - 35°
R13
>35°

The HSE "has reservations" about this form of slip testing as the lubricant is not representative of common contaminants and the R scale is often misinterpreted as running from R1.

The 'R rating' covers wide bands of CoDF spanning the accepted high, medium and low slip risk categories as shown below.

Classification

Angle of Slip

CoDF

Slip Risk

R9
6° - 10°
0.11 - 0.18
High
R10
10° - 19°
0.18 - 0.34
High & Moderate
R11
19° - 27°
0.34 - 0.51
Moderate & Low
R12
27° - 35°
0.51 - 0.70
Low
R13
>35°
>0.70
Low

Another drawback of the method, and indeed all 'in-house' test methods is that tests are conducted on ex-factory samples. It is often the case that flooring installed and in use for a short period of time will have a different slip resistance to flooring leaving the factory. This is due to factory sealants wearing off, new sealants/polishes being applied, cleaning regimes and contamination. It is for this reason that the pendulum is such a widely used tool as it is the only accurate measure of slip resistance in situ as experienced by pedestrians using the surface.

As far as we are aware there are only a few laboratories in the country with the facilities required to conduct the above ramp tests, they are;

SATRA - www.satra.co.uk

CERAM - www.ceram.co.uk

RAPRA - www.rapra.net

The HSL - www.hsl.gov.uk

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DIN 51130 testing is suited to industrial applications where oil contamination is prevalent. Due to the mechanics of a contaminated slip it is impossible to use the R rating to deduce the performance of a surface with a different contaminant. Despite this, many imported ceramic tiles are misleadingly sold as 'slip resistant' with a R rating of 10 or even 9.

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