Office slip testing.
The low-claim sector that still needs evidence.

Offices — low claim frequency, high claim severity

Office environments have one of the lowest slip claim frequencies of any commercial sector, but when claims do arise, they have distinctive characteristics. The claimant is typically a professional earning a salary the personal injury lawyer can evidence precisely — which drives settlement values upwards. The location is often a polished stone lobby that looks expensive but tests poorly. And the landlord/tenant divide complicates who carries the liability.

A UKAS accredited baseline pendulum survey addresses all three. It documents the actual slip resistance of the premises, identifies surfaces that need remediation or surface-enhancement treatment, and provides a definitive record of the landlord's pre-tenancy due diligence.

The office environments we test

Main reception and entrance lobbies

Polished stone, terrazzo, porcelain and marble are the default materials for high-specification office lobbies. All four can test below PTV 36 in the wet regardless of cost. Entrance matting and water-management design at the threshold is the first line of defence; pendulum testing quantifies what's left after the mat.

Lift lobbies and corridors

Vinyl, LVT and engineered timber in corridors and lift lobbies. These surfaces typically test well in the dry and deteriorate with cleaning-product residue build-up. An annual pendulum re-test within a multi-let building is a growing norm.

Kitchenettes and coffee areas

Small kitchenettes and coffee points are disproportionately represented in office slip claims. Low traffic, infrequent cleaning, and ad-hoc spillage produce real hazards in a footprint of 10-15 m².

Breakout and co-working areas

Co-working operators mix carpet, vinyl and timber across a floor plate. Material transitions are specific hotspots.

Meeting rooms and executive suites

Mostly low-risk, but specifically for executive floor finishes (polished veneers, premium stone) the pendulum result can be surprising.

Stairs and atrium zones

Stair nosings are a specific pendulum test target. BS 5395 references apply. Atrium feature flooring in larger buildings requires its own test regime.

Toilets and washrooms

Office washrooms share some characteristics with public toilets but with lower footfall. Porcelain tile selections often test below PTV 25 when wet.

External plaza and forecourt

Corporate-campus paving, stone staircases between street and lobby, and landscaped walkways. Material transitions from external to internal are a claim hotspot.

The landlord/tenant question

In a multi-let office building, liability for a slip depends on where it happens:

• Common parts (main lobby, lifts, corridors, stairwells) — landlord liability.
• Demised tenant space — tenant liability.
• Boundary areas (lift lobby on a tenant's floor) — defined by lease terms.

A landlord-commissioned pendulum survey of the common parts, and tenant-commissioned surveys of their demise, produce a clean evidentiary position for both parties. In larger estates, landlords increasingly require tenants to maintain slip evidence as a condition of lease compliance.

Office PTV targets