Safety / testing

Preventing slips where it matters: our test results

At Altro we combine available industry slip resistance tests to get the most accurate proof of just how safe our flooring is.

We believe standard industry test values don’t always provide clarity of slip potential and categories of values are too broad, which is why we combine them.

Our safety floors for wet environments are tested with real life contaminants: shower gel, shampoo and conditioner. Altro Aquarius and Altro Pisces still have a PTV of ≥36 (slider 96) against all these contaminants and the risk of slipping is just one in a million; however, with water alone they maintain a PTV of ≥50 (slider 96).

Both floors achieve an R11 on the ramp test.

The Pendulum Test (BS 7976)

The ‘pendulum’ is a swinging, dummy heel that sweeps over a set area of flooring in a controlled manner to simulate slipping on a wet floor. The slipperiness of the flooring has a direct and measurable effect on the pendulum value. Flooring that achieves a wet result of Pendulum Test Value ≥36 (slider 96) has a low slip potential.

The Ramp Test (DIN 51130)

The Ramp Test is widely used. R9-R13 values are based on angle measurements of a motor oil-covered ramp that an operator walks on. The angle at which the operator slips forms the R value, but because the most common contaminant on floors is water, using motor oil doesn’t give a true representation of what happens in real life situations. The barefoot version of the test (DIN 51097), where the ramp is covered in a soap solution as a contaminant, simulating conditions in a shower, rates flooring A, B or C. Altro Aquarius and Altro Pisces are rated class B.