UKAS · LOGISTICS STORAGE

Slip testing
for Warehouses.

Warehouses are the highest-volume slip-testing brief in UK industrial. The combination of high MHE traffic, racking-aisle wet-shoe carry-in from yard areas, sealed-concrete coatings under load, and rapidly-evolving e-commerce fulfilment formats creates a continuous stream of new …

17025 ISO/IEC accreditation
Warehouses Sector covered

Warehouses testing

Tier 1 · Logistics Storage

  • Sector contextWarehouses are the highest-volume slip-testing brief in UK industrial. The combination of high MHE traffic, racking-aisle wet-shoe carry-in …
  • Out-of-hours attendance23:00–05:00 visits to avoid production-shift disruption.
  • UKAS-accredited reportsAccepted by HSE, FSA, BRC, MHRA and PL insurers.
  • Multi-site programmesGroup annual contracts for portfolio operators.
Surfaces tested in warehouses

The warehouses surface vocabulary.

Every warehouses site has a distinct surface vocabulary that drives the testing protocol. We test the actual surfaces present, not a generic baseline.

  1. 01 · SURFACE

    Power-floated concrete with sealer or polyurethane topcoatthe dominant warehouse base finish, tested at racking aisles, pick-faces, and yard-to-internal transitions

  2. 02 · SURFACE

    Resin-coated concrete in goods-in and goods-out zoneswhere vehicle tyre-washdown and wet-pallet ingress drive elevated wet-PTV exposure

  3. 03 · SURFACE

    Anti-slip safety coatings at MHE charging pointsparticularly important where ATEX zone classification applies

  4. 04 · SURFACE

    Vinyl or epoxy walkways through rackingpedestrian-MHE segregation lines must be tested independently of the main aisle

  5. 05 · SURFACE

    Loading dock leveller plates and dock-edge transitionssteel surfaces with high incident rates due to weather carry-in

  6. 06 · SURFACE

    Mezzanine flooring (chipboard, steel, composite)often missed but a defined fall-from-height-after-slip risk

Specific risk zones

Where the incidents actually happen.

Generic slip testing misses the zones that actually generate incidents. Warehouses sites have distinct high-risk zones that warrant independent testing.

Goods-in wet-pallet ingress

Yard-to-internal transitions where rain-soaked pallets enter the warehouse drag continuous moisture across the threshold. The single most common slip-incident location in distribution centres.

MHE battery charging areas

Acid spillage, electrolyte mist, and battery-cell water top-up activity create localised wet-and-chemical exposure. ATEX zoning may apply.

Pick-face floor wear

High-frequency pedestrian pick activity wears polyurethane topcoats unevenly — PTV degradation in pick-tunnels accelerates faster than aisle averages.

Loading-dock weather threshold

The 1-2m strip immediately inside loading dock doors carries the highest wet-shoe slip exposure on site, year-round.

Regulatory framework

Warehouses · regulatory context.

Warehouse slip testing falls under HSE INDG225 and the Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations 1992 Regulation 12. The HSE has prosecuted multiple distribution operators for slip incidents, with PTV evidence consistently determinative. UKAS ISO/IEC 17025 accredited reports are the format Public Liability insurers and HSE inspectors expect. For ATEX-zoned battery areas, intrinsic-safety considerations apply — we attend with appropriately classified instruments where required.

HSE INDG225 Preventing slips and trips at work
WHSWR 1992 Reg 12 Workplace floor condition
PUWER 1998 Where MHE in scope
ATEX/DSEAR Battery charging zones where applicable
Sector case study

Warehouses case study.

A national 3PL operator commissioned annual UKAS pendulum testing across a 100,000 sq ft RDC after a goods-in slip incident triggered RIDDOR. We tested 47 discrete zones including four loading docks, the MHE charging room, mezzanine, pick-tunnels and pedestrian segregation routes. Two zones had wet-PTV below the HSE Low Slip Potential threshold — the operator implemented targeted re-coating on those two zones rather than re-coating the entire warehouse, saving an estimated £180,000. Annual re-testing now provides ongoing PL-insurer documentation.

Related sectors

Adjacent industrial categories.

Request a Quote

Tell us about your warehouses site.

Whether you operate a single industrial site, a multi-site portfolio, or an FM contractor brief covering multiple operators, we'll return a fully-costed, no-obligation quotation within one working day.

Out-of-hours attendance

Mon–Fri, 8am–6pm office hours.
23:00–05:00 attendance for production-floor sites by arrangement.