UKAS ISO/IEC 17025 accredited testing

Pendulum & surface roughness testing for swimming pools

Independent UKAS-accredited slip resistance testing for pool surrounds, hydrotherapy facilities, changing rooms and aquatic leisure environments. Pendulum testing to BS EN 16165:2021 Annex C (replacing the now-superseded BS 7976-2), supported by surface roughness (Rz) measurement where forensic depth is needed.

UKAS ISO/IEC 17025 accredited
BS EN 16165 Annex C / BS 7976-2
Slider 55 / 57 for barefoot environments
Rz roughness testing supported
UK-wide attendance
Why pool testing is its own thing

Pools aren't normal floors. Standard pendulum testing isn't enough.

In a retail entrance or a hospital corridor, the pendulum's standard Slider 96 (Four-S rubber, simulating a shod heel) gives the right answer. On a wet pool surround, where guests are barefoot, that slider misleads — bare wet skin grips a wet surface differently to a rubber heel. Pool testing requires Slider 55 or Slider 57, the softer compounds that simulate bare wet skin.

Get the slider wrong and the report says the floor is compliant when the actual barefoot pedestrian is in trouble. Our UKAS-accredited methodology uses the right slider for the environment from the outset, and the report is structured to satisfy insurers, building control, CQC, HSG179 references, and litigation under CPR Part 35.

Read the full explanation →
Pool environments we test

Across the UK pool estate

Hotel pools, council leisure centres, school pools, hydrotherapy pools, private clubs, hotels, spas and Lido pools. Each type has its own operational profile and its own slip-risk pattern — but the testing methodology is consistent.

All pool environments →

When you commission testing

The reasons clients call us

Different commercial triggers, different evidential requirements, different deadlines. The same UKAS-accredited methodology underpins all of them.

After an incident

Capture the surface in the condition it was at the time of the slip — before cleaning regimes change, before remediation. We attend within days where instructed urgently.

Post-incident testing →

Pre-handover compliance

New build or refurbished pool — independent verification that the installed surface meets the specification, before practical completion and the file is closed.

Pre-handover testing →

Insurer and audit programmes

Periodic UKAS-accredited testing across hotel groups, leisure operators and council estates. Documentary evidence retained in the risk-management file.

Insurance audit programmes →

Expert witness

Independent forensic testing and CPR Part 35-compliant expert reporting for slip-claim litigation involving pool, hydrotherapy or wet-leisure environments.

Expert witness service →

Pre-purchase due diligence

Testing as part of acquisition technical due diligence on hotels, leisure centres, gyms with pools, and care/retirement properties with hydrotherapy.

Due diligence testing →

Anti-slip treatment verification

Independent before-and-after PTV measurement to confirm anti-slip treatments on pool surrounds have actually achieved the claimed uplift.

Treatment verification →

All testing scenarios →

Technical guides

The technical detail behind pool slip testing

Twenty in-depth guides on the standards, the sliders, the contaminants, the regulatory framework, and what makes a pool-floor pendulum report defensible.

All technical guides →

UK coverage

Pool testing across the UK

We attend pool sites across England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland under our UKAS accreditation. Click any region for local information, or contact us directly for sites elsewhere.

All UK locations →

Get a quote within one working day

Tell us about your pool and we'll come back with a clear scope and cost. Urgent post-incident attendance available where required.

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