Using the flooring selection tool is entirely optional but it may help you select appropriate types of flooring for installation in areas likely to become frequently contaminated with liquids when in use. The guidance it produces is intended to give you practical advice to help you comply with the law. If you use the tool, it should be read in conjunction with the Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations 1992 and other legislation which is specific to your industry sector.
The flooring selection tool helps to identify the types of flooring that are likely to retain their slip resistant properties when contaminated with some common liquids. How the floor is installed, maintained and treated will also affect its slip resistant properties. The tool uses the UK Slip Resistance Group recommended Pendulum Test Values (PTV) by the Health and Safety Laboratory (HSL) and research based experience of the flooring in use. PTV values have been taken from floorings in use in actual workplaces.
The flooring selection tool is suitable when considering the refurbishment or design of internal flooring surfaces and walkways. It should not be used for external flooring surfaces or walkways. It does not apply to stairs and slopes. Information on particular products is not included in the tool. Some specialist and heavy industry sectors, such as sports halls, sports stadia, car parks, stairs, chemicals, molten metals, waste and recycling, printing, minerals processing and railway stations, are excluded. Domestic premises are also excluded. The flooring selection tool is not intended to cover all types of flooring or workplaces and only covers some of the most common types.
A variety of control measures can be used to help minimise the risk of slips at work. Installing flooring which is likely to retain its slip resistant properties when contaminated with some common liquids can help to do this. Controls such as footwear, cleaning, staff awareness, effective entrance matting systems and flooring finishes, can all help to reduce the risk of a slip occurring on a wide range of flooring types.
If a flooring type is listed as 'unlikely to be appropriate for the intended condition', you can consult a manufacturer for further test data or to discuss additional control measures.
For more detailed information, see the Flooring Selection Tool FAQs page
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