Shopping Centre Slip Risk Assessment Package

Reduce risk of slipping and exposure to slip injury claims to a minimum, across the whole premises, with robust expert evidence and impartial recommendations.

Shopping Centre Slip Risk Assessment Package

• A full and proper slip risk assessment covering all public areas on which a duty of care is owed.
• Risk assessment based on the HSE’s Slips Potential Model, informing intelligent decisions on improvements.
• Classification of areas based on their potential for a slip – low risk/compliant, low risk/compliant with specified controls, or requiring specified actions.
• Expert BS 7976-2 Pendulum slip testing to UKSRG Guidelines where appropriate, the same standard of test used in personal injury cases.
• Practical recommendations for improvement.  We don’t profit from any anti-slip sales or referrals, ensuring unbiased recommendations.
• A comprehensive, easy to use, report designed to minimise slip risk and maximise successful defence of slip claims.

​We are currently offering this assessment package for a fixed fee of £850+VAT

Traditional slip risk assessment is imperfect

Whilst the requirement to assess slip risk is clear in various H&S Regulations, the reality is that few retail environments do currently conduct or commission assessment that offers meaningful guidance in reducing slip risk or effective defence of a personal injury (slip) claim.  Those who do typically cover only the most visible or highest traffic areas, neglecting areas which may still pose a significant risk.  Traditional assessment tends to follow one of two routes; 

'Cheap and cheerful' testing
Quick, easy and inexpensive testing conducted either in house or through a non-expert contractor, using a method such as Rz roughness, SAT, SlipAlert, BOT3000 or Tortus.  The benefit of this approach is that a wide area can be covered.  In our experience dealing with personal injury slip cases, the results and reports often leave much to be desired and are wholly ineffective at defending slip claims.  Some dubious contractors present misleading reports, indicating to the non-expert that the proper testing has been conducted instead.  It is difficult to claim test results should be considered valid in a legal case when the HSE and UK Slip Resistance Group state that the BS 7976-2 Pendulum is their preferred method of testing and tests have been conducted by some other means.  Poor quality testing can lead to increased accident rates or unnecessary expenditure as surfaces/environments may be incorrectly classified as safe/unsafe.

BS 7976-2 Pendulum testing
Whilst in line with best practice, the high cost of testing (relative to the above approach, but not relative to a slip injury claim) forces responsible parties to narrow the focus of assessment, limiting its effectiveness.  In the past, our own offering has sometimes been frustratingly kerbed by the Client's limited budget, preventing us from assessing all areas which we believe warrant attention.  Often tests will be conducted as the primary form of 'assessment', rather than full and proper consideration of what the test values actually mean within the test environment.  Many providers of Pendulum testing also offer anti-slip/cleaning products and so have a commercial interest both in the results produced and the recommended improvements.

A better approach

Based on our extensive experience both in risk assessment and providing expert witness services for slip injury claims, we have developed a new approach to assessment specifically addressing the challenges and current shortcomings in large retail environments. 

The frictional properties of a floor surface are one of a number of factors affecting the risk of a pedestrian slipping, so rather than relying solely on measurements of slip resistance, we conduct a paper-based slip risk assessment of all public areas of the property first.  Having considered factors described in the HSE's Slips Potential Model we can then conduct BS 7976-2 Pendulum testing of the same standard as we would in a legal case, with a focus on those areas where the slip resistance of the floor surface is critical. 

The resulting report covers the entirety of the property whilst ensuring sufficient weight of evidence to effectively defend a claim, or give the necessary confidence to settle a claim quickly and limit losses.  Impartial, straightforward recommendations are made for those surfaces where the risk of a slip is unacceptable and likely to render responsible parties liable in the instance of a claim. 
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​Those commissioning our service, and implementing recommended improvements, can be confident they have reduced both the risk of a slip, and exposure to slip damages claims, to a minimum.

"Grip Potential is highly recommended for organisations who are serious about slip risk assessment" -  Alison Clarke, Spire Healthcare

Slip testing and the law

Whilst there is no express requirement to achieve a 36 Pendulum Test Value (PTV) or greater in the conditions of end use, it is a clear requirement of UK Law that floor surfaces must not present risks to health.  In every legal case we have been involved in a 'low risk' classification (36+PTV) has been a key point of interest in determining whether a surface is safe or slippery.​

• The Workplace Health Safety and Welfare Regs '92  floors shall be suitable for their purpose, and shall not be slippery so as to expose a person to a risk to their health and safety.

• The H&S at Work Act '74 states more generally that it shall be the duty of every employer to ensure, so far as is reasonably practicable, the health safety and welfare of those affected by their work.

• ​The Management of H&S at Work Regs '99 states that employers shall make suitable and sufficient assessment of the risk to health and safety of both employees and those in connection with their undertaking.   

• The Occupiers Liability Act '84 states generally that the owner of a premises has a duty to take reasonable care to prevent injury of those on the premises.

Whilst the Enterprise and Regulatory Reform Act 2013 has removed civil liability for breaches of health and safety, it is typical that the Courts will regard breaches of health and safety regulations as evidence of negligence.

Contact us today to reduce slip risk in your retail premises

​We operat​e a nationwide service from;
​Grip Potential Ltd
Corby Business Centre
Eismann Way
​Corby
Northants
NN17 5ZB

Give us a call
01536 213 800

Drop us a line
info@grip-potential.com

Or simply fill out the form opposite and we will call you