SlipAlert testing — fast broad-area surveys, properly correlated.

What is SlipAlert?

SlipAlert is a wheeled, gravity-driven slip resistance tester developed by Dr Malcolm Bailey, former chairman of the British and European Standards committees on slip resistance. It provides results that correlate directly with the Pendulum Test Value (PTV) — but at a fraction of the time per data point, making it the practical tool for testing entire floor areas rather than just spot-check locations.

When SlipAlert is the right choice

SlipAlert excels in three scenarios where the pendulum is impractical:

Broad-area floor mapping

A single pendulum location takes 15–20 minutes when done properly. Across a 5,000 m² supermarket, you cannot reasonably take more than a dozen readings in a day. SlipAlert can take hundreds, building a heatmap of slip resistance across the whole floor — exposing variations that single-point pendulum testing simply misses.

Monitoring and trend analysis

If you want to know whether your cleaning regime is improving or degrading slip resistance over time, you need many readings, repeated routinely. SlipAlert is the right instrument for that. We frequently run quarterly SlipAlert programmes for hospitality and retail clients managing dozens of sites.

Pre-screening before pendulum

For complex sites, a SlipAlert sweep can identify the worst-performing zones, which then receive focused pendulum attention. This reduces overall cost while improving the quality of the eventual report.

SlipAlert vs Pendulum — the honest comparison

Both methods are British Standard slip tests. Both are recognised by the HSE. The pendulum remains the in-situ instrument of record for litigation and for definitive PTV determination. SlipAlert is faster, more comprehensive, and excellent for area-wide assessment. For most large jobs, the right answer is to use both.

How a SlipAlert survey is run

The instrument is calibrated and slider-conditioned to BS 8204-6. Test points are selected systematically (often on a grid pattern for area mapping, or at risk-defined locations such as entrances and ramps). Each location receives multiple readings in wet and dry conditions, with results converted to equivalent PTV using the manufacturer's calibration data.

A typical SlipAlert site visit covers 50–200 measurement points per day, depending on access and site complexity. Reports are delivered in the same UKAS-accredited format as our pendulum work.

What does it cost?

SlipAlert surveys are typically priced per visit (£600–£1,800 depending on site size and survey density) or under framework rates for portfolio clients. Cost per data point is materially lower than equivalent pendulum testing.