With health and safety a prominent feature of these Olympic games, many interior and exterior floor surfaces in the both the Olympic Village and the wider Olympic site will be expected to meet minimum slip resistance requirements as defined by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE).

Whether you are supplying ceramic tiles, laying resin or bitumen or installing decking, the way to ensure legal compliance is with a “Pendulum” slip test conducted by independent experts to BS 7976. Read the full article.

Grip Potential have recently been asked to conduct testing of several NHS new builds, ensuring floors provide safe levels of grip for staff, visitors and patients alike. The NHS HTM6-1 directive gives clear guidance on action that should be taken to ensure a safe environment. The HTM6-1 recommends slip testing in accordance with HSE guidelines, something we at Grip Potential can provide with experienced staff, flexible service and competition beating prices, anywhere in the UK or Ireland.

For further information and a summary of HTM6-1, read the full article.

As summer approaches and the timber decked external areas of restaurants, pubs, bars and hotels begin to see more use, the likelihood of customers or staff being exposed to an unacceptable slip risk increases. With signs warning of slippery decking reducing but not eliminating slip risk, the responsibility of owners to provide a safe slip resistant surface is all important.

Anthony Roberts takes a look at the slip resistance of timber decking. Read the full article.

The Slips Potential Model indicates the importance of a holistic approach to slip risk assessment. Grip Potential ensure that test results are indicative of the real slip risk by incorporating a variety of local contaminants in testing.

Contaminants we have used in testing include some unusual slip hazards, chocolate, glucose syrup, fruit pulp and hand cream. Their importance in ascertaining the real slip risk a contaminated floor poses should not be ignored however. Read the full article.

Generally accepted as an anti-slip surface, tread plate (checker plate/diamond plate) is often found to give a high risk of slip in water wet conditions. Worse still, its assumed anti-slip properties in addition to its typical installation in stairs and catwalks can pose a significant threat to pedestrians.

Anthony Roberts discusses the effect of a tread plate profile on slip resistance. Read the full article.