In this article, Mark Hillier, specification manager at leading commercial tile supplier CTD Architectural Tiles, explains what the pendulum test is and its vital role in putting safety first in every project.
Each commercial scheme requires a balancing act between safety and an appropriate style, with both essential factors to consider in any architectural project.
While these projects are likely to utilise the skills of interior designers to keep the aesthetic of a project in line with the overall vision, the safety of a new or refurbished commercial space – whether that’s a hotel, office building or retail centre – ultimately lies with the architect. For this reason, it’s vital that architects and interior designers work together to find the right products for the project, particularly when it comes to flooring.
Safety first
While all commercial projects will be subject to variables such as timescales, budgets, durability and aesthetics, safety is a non-negotiable and should always be the priority in the specification of commercial floor coverings.
While there are a multitude of flooring options available on the market, tiles remain a popular choice across the commercial sector – not only thanks to their diversity in design and price, but also in terms of safety. Porcelain is generally recommended as the best material for floor tiles, but not all tiles are made the same and slip resistance levels will vary from product to product. So how can the true safety of a product be measured?
The pendulum test
As the only accepted test used in legal and insurance matters, the pendulum test plays a vital role in analysing the safety of floor tiles. It’s recognised by the Health & Safety Executive (HSE) as the most accurate and reliable measure of slip resistance for testing a product under both wet and dry conditions.
This test replicates a human heel making contact with a tile, through the use of two types of rubber sole – referred to as sliders – swinging over the product in question. One of the sliders duplicates the effect of a bare foot passing over the tile, known as unshod, while the other slider produces the effect of a shoe on the tile, known as shod.
The pendulum swings over the tile several times under each combination of shod and unshod, and wet and dry conditions to establish the average figure based on the level of friction produced. This average figure is known as the Pendulum Test Value (PTV), and this is the anti-slip rating attached to the tile.
Results of the pendulum test are divided into three categories:
- PTV0-24 refers to high slip potential
- PTV25-35 refers to moderate slip potential
- PTV36+ refers to low slip potential
To put this into context, a PTV rating of 19 equates to a one in two slip accident risk while a PTV36 score is the equivalent to one in one million users slipping on the tile. This huge difference in accident risk shows just how important a high PTV rating is to a commercial project, and how something as simple as choice of tile can be vital to ensuring the safety of a commercial space.
Fortunately, there are a vast range of tiles now available on the market that offer a PTV rating of 36 – and, increasingly, higher than this with more and more requests for tiles boasting PTV40 ratings for commercial projects. This vast array of anti-slip floor tiles means that whatever the project and aesthetic, there’s a tile to suit without compromising on safety.
It’s important to note that with leading commercial tile manufacturers located around the world – and different safety requirements in different countries – your chosen tile may not have already undergone pendulum testing and therefore may not come with a PTV rating. Where this is the case, it’s always worth discussing with your chosen tile supplier, as its team may be able to carry out testing in-house.