Why kitchens are a special case
Almost every risk factor for a slip lands in a commercial kitchen at once. Floors are wet from cleaning and splashes, coated in oil and grease from cooking, and walked over constantly by staff moving quickly with hot and heavy loads. Add tight spaces, blind corners and long shifts, and it is easy to see why kitchens and food preparation areas see a large share of workplace slips in hospitality. Unlike a foyer that is only occasionally wet, a working kitchen floor is contaminated for most of the day.
The obligations that apply
There is no single rule that states a kitchen floor must hit one specific number. Several obligations point in the same direction:
- Work health and safety duties. A commercial kitchen is a workplace. The business in control of it must manage the risk of slips, trips and falls for workers and others so far as is reasonably practicable, and floor surfaces are a well-understood, foreseeable hazard.
- New work and refurbishments. Where a kitchen is being built or refurbished, the National Construction Code sets slip resistance classifications for certain elements and references AS 4586:2013 for the classification of new surface materials.
- Existing floors. For a floor already in service, the practical benchmark is HB 198:2014, the Standards Australia handbook that recommends minimum wet pendulum classifications by location type, measured under AS 4663:2013. Wet processing and food preparation areas sit among the location types recommended to have high wet slip resistance.
Our standards guide explains how the classification system works and how results are interpreted against location type.
Test wet, always
Because a kitchen floor spends its life wet or contaminated, the wet pendulum test is the method that reflects the real risk. A dry-only test on a kitchen floor can make a genuinely dangerous surface look acceptable, because it measures a condition the floor is almost never actually in. Wet pendulum testing to AS 4663:2013 produces a P classification that describes how the surface grips underfoot when it is wet, which is exactly the moment staff slip. If you want the difference between the two on-site methods spelled out, see our guide to wet pendulum versus dry floor friction testing.
The areas worth testing
- The cook line and around fryers and ranges. Oil and grease build up here and change the surface underfoot, even when the floor looks clean.
- Dishwash and pot wash areas. Constant water, detergent and splashing make this one of the wettest zones in the building.
- Prep areas and around sinks. Water, food debris and frequent movement combine.
- Cool room and store entries. Condensation and drips at thresholds create slick spots right where people carry loads.
- Bar floors and behind the bar. Ice, spilled drinks and wash-down water, often on tiled or coated surfaces.
- The path from kitchen to service. Staff move fast through doorways that see both kitchen contamination and dining room traffic.
Why kitchen floors drift over time
A surface that gripped well when the kitchen opened can quietly lose slip resistance. Grease films build up in a way ordinary mopping does not remove. Aggressive degreasers or incorrect dilution can leave residues. Wear polishes tiles and coatings smooth along the busiest paths. A new cleaning contractor may change products without anyone assessing the effect on grip. None of this is visible to the eye, which is why periodic testing matters more here than almost anywhere else.
Fixing a kitchen floor that falls short
Rectification is not always a new floor. For kitchens, the fix often starts with the cleaning regime: the right degreasing product, correct dilution, and a method that actually lifts grease rather than smearing it. Where the surface itself is the problem, options range from anti-slip treatments to a more suitable floor finish. Because Slip Audit is part of the Premrest group, our reports include referral pathways for each finding, and we can retest afterwards so the improvement is documented.
Get a clear picture of your kitchen floors
If you run a pub, cafe, restaurant, hotel or catering kitchen and are not sure where your floors stand, a wet pendulum test will tell you, with a report that explains what each result means and what to do about anything that falls short. We test hospitality sites across Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane, and we can work around service so testing does not disrupt trade.