UKAS slip testing for
catering manufacturers and food production.

Why catering manufacturers and food production need UKAS accredited slip testing

Food manufacturing floors see some of the most aggressive combined contamination in any UK industrial context — oils, fats, sugars, flour, protein residues, water, cleaning chemistry, and temperature cycling. Off-the-shelf industrial slip testing (water-only pendulum) often dramatically overstates safety compared with the contaminated reality. UKAS accredited testing with representative contaminants is the only approach that reflects operational risk.

Specific issues we see in catering manufacturers and food production

• Bakery and confectionery. Flour dust on floor becomes a slip hazard only when combined with moisture or fat. A water-only pendulum test misses this. Testing with a representative flour/fat/water mix is the only evidence that matches reality.
• Butchery and protein production. Blood, fat, water and cleaning chemistry cycle through the day. UKAS testing with representative organic contamination produces defensible risk data.
• Dairy and beverage. Sugar solutions are an insidious slip hazard — low viscosity, high lubricity, surprisingly persistent. Dairy processing combines temperature cycling with lactose deposits.
• Cold stores and chill rooms. Condensation on cold-store transition zones drops slip resistance unpredictably. Baseline testing of the chilled surface, plus testing at the thermal transition, is best practice.
• Wash-down and CIP zones. Post-cleaning wet PTV is the moment of highest slip exposure for the workforce. Testing immediately after wash-down, not just dry, reflects the actual risk.

Which standards apply

BS EN 16165 Annex C pendulum testing with site-representative contamination. UKAS testing Lab 7933 scope covers wet, oily and chemical contamination protocols. Food-manufacturer flooring is typically polyurethane-based resin with aggregate; acceptance testing against the manufacturer's specification is often combined with ongoing periodic audit for employer's liability and food-safety purposes.

What you get

• UKAS accredited pendulum test report (Lab 7933)
• Pendulum Test Values for every test location, dry and wet
• Interpretation against BS EN 16165 and UKSRG benchmarks
• Photographic record of test locations
• Measurement uncertainty statements (required for admissibility)
• 5 working day turnaround from site visit to report

Common questions

Our flooring supplier said their product has a "high slip-resistance rating" — do we still need testing?

Yes. Manufacturer product data is based on pristine new surface in controlled conditions. Field performance varies with installation quality, cleaning regime and contaminants. UKAS accredited testing of the installed and in-use surface is the only way to verify the claim.

Can you test during a production shift?

Normally no — we test during cleaning or maintenance windows when we can apply controlled water contamination safely. For working food manufacturers we typically schedule overnight, early morning before shift start, or during planned shutdowns.

Do you test the whole floor or representative samples?

Representative samples, with locations chosen to capture the range of conditions across the facility — the loading bay, a dry production zone, a wet process zone, a cold-store transition, a main thoroughfare. Twelve to twenty test locations across a medium facility is typical.

What about contamination from cleaning chemistry?

This is commonly overlooked. Residues from caustic or acidic cleaning can reduce slip resistance temporarily. If your cleaning cycle is relevant to your slip-exposure risk, we can replicate it in testing.