Health and Safety
Executive / Commission
Slips and trips
Previous work carried out by HSL (Report PED/05/04), investigated the slip resistance of occupational footwear. For the purposes of this report ‘occupational footwear’ includes any footwear intended for use at work. The aim of the current study was to expand this work to assess the slip resistance of a wider range of occupational footwear. It is intended that the results generated in the course of this work should form the basis of an information table to aid HSE and local authority inspectors in providing advice on appropriate footwear to duty holders. A further 28 pairs of occupational footwear were assessed for slip resistance using the standard HSL-PS-SOP12 ramp test, also known as the UKSRG Ramp Test (HSE, 2007) on steel with water contamination. Shoes that were shown to pose a moderate or low slip potential on wet steel were subjected to additional testing.
Since the publication of this report in May 2007, HSL have tested a further 20 pairs of footwear, and the combined test results are given in Supplement to HSL/2007/33 containing additional footwear test results - April 2009.Inclusion of any brand of footwear in this report does not imply any endorsement of that product by HSE/HSL. At the time of the study, HSL made reasonable efforts to find and purchase as many brands of footwear for testing as possible, including asking suppliers to nominate brands themselves. However, there may be good-performing footwear on the market which didn't come to HSL’s attention and was therefore not tested. Also, new footwear may well have come on the market since the study and it is possible that some of the brands tested have been withdrawn or modified in the interim.
Laboratory test results alone are not sufficient to enable selection of the best footwear for a particular work environment. Footwear test results should always be supported by user field trials.
