UKAS-accredited pendulum testing follows BS EN 16165:2021 Annex C, the current UK standard. We work alongside the wider regulatory and guidance framework that governs UK pool environments — HSE HSG179, BS 8204 and HSE PTV banding.
BS EN 16165:2021 is the current European standard governing slip resistance test methods. Annex C covers the pendulum test — the same test method that has been used in UK practice for over four decades. The standard was adopted across the UK in February 2022, replacing the long-established BS 7976-2.
The test is technically unchanged: same instrument, same sliders, same swing geometry, same calibration regime. The regulatory wrapper is now European-aligned, and the pendulum sits as Annex C within a single standard that consolidates four slip-resistance test methods.
BS 7976-2 was the long-standing UK pendulum test standard, withdrawn in February 2022 when BS EN 16165 was adopted. Many existing specifications, contracts and risk-management documents still reference BS 7976-2 by name. In practice this is not a problem: the pendulum test under BS EN 16165 Annex C is technically the same test as under BS 7976-2, and a UKAS-accredited Annex C report satisfies the older specification reference. New specifications should reference BS EN 16165:2021 directly.
HSG179 is the principal HSE guidance for UK swimming pool operators. It addresses pool design, water treatment, supervision, life-saving and the wider safe-operation framework, including slip-risk management on pool surrounds, changing rooms and wet circulation areas. UKAS-accredited pendulum testing is the testing-side complement to the operational management framework HSG179 sets out.
The HSE interprets Pendulum Test Value results using three bands derived from extensive forensic and laboratory work:
| PTV (wet) | Slip potential | Approximate slip probability |
|---|---|---|
| 0–24 | High | Approximately 1 in 2 |
| 25–35 | Moderate | Approximately 1 in 20 |
| 36+ | Low | Approximately 1 in 1,000,000 |
For pool environments specifically, we typically apply tighter targets — PTV 36+ wet using Slider 55/57 is the working baseline, with higher targets justified for hydrotherapy environments and pool steps.
BS 8204 is the British Standard governing screeds, bases and in-situ floorings. Where pool-surround flooring is delivered as part of a wider construction project, BS 8204-referenced specifications typically include slip-resistance requirements (commonly PTV 36+ wet) that our pendulum testing verifies.
UKAS ISO/IEC 17025 is the international standard for the competence of testing and calibration laboratories. Surface Performance Ltd holds accreditation under this standard for pendulum slip resistance testing and surface roughness measurement. The accreditation covers the technical methodology, the calibration chain, the staff competence, and the management-system framework that produces our reports. The accreditation scope is published on the UKAS register.
A UKAS-accredited pendulum report covers the methodology, the calibration record from the testing day, the slider used, the individual swing readings per direction, the calculated mean PTV per location, photographic record of test locations, surface roughness data where included, and limitations explicitly stated. The report is structured to satisfy insurer requirements, BS 8204 handover compliance, HSG179 operational records, and CPR Part 35 expert evidence requirements where the report is later used in litigation.