Proof the floor is being managed

Retail combines high public foot traffic, hard polished surfaces and constant spill risk. Slip incidents in retail environments are a persistent source of public liability claims, and centre managers are routinely asked by insurers and legal teams to demonstrate that floor safety is being managed. Periodic slip testing to AS 4663:2013 gives you that evidence: a current P rating for each agreed location, interpreted against HB 198:2014, in a report that can sit with the rest of the asset file.

We test during quiet periods or after hours so trading is not disrupted. Both the wet pendulum and dry floor friction instruments are portable, and each test location only needs a small area to be temporarily cordoned. Dry friction testing suits trading floors that stay dry in normal service, where wetting a surface mid-shift is impractical. Where a mall, entry or food court gets wet or contaminated, the wet pendulum result is the one that counts.

The report is not a PDF of pendulum numbers. Centre management gets a clear, prioritised picture across the whole asset: which walkways meet the guidance, which are marginal, and which need treatment or coating first.

Typical focus areas

Mall common areas and polished stone walkways
Supermarket aisles, fresh produce and refrigeration zones
Food courts and cafe seating areas
Entry thresholds and trolley bays exposed to weather
Amenities and parents rooms

How we test and report

Where we test

Centres, supermarkets and stores

The same public-liability question lands on a regional shopping centre, a supermarket, a strip store and a food court. The surfaces differ; the need for a current slip rating does not.

Mall common areas

Polished stone walkways look the part and wear under constant traffic. Cleaning residues and polish build-up can drop grip without anyone noticing. We test the main circulation routes and the spots where people change direction, then rank the findings so the busiest shortfalls are not buried in a table.

Supermarket aisles and produce

Fresh produce and refrigeration zones stay wet or damp from condensation, melt and handling. Aisles see trolleys and spills together. These are wet or contaminated areas with heavy traffic, the second group we triage after stairs, ramps and wet barefoot rooms. A dry-only test here can make a slick surface look acceptable.

Entries and trolley bays

Entry thresholds and trolley bays exposed to weather bring water onto hard floors at the busiest point of the visit. Internal entries that get wet are commonly recommended to achieve P3; external walkways and entrance ways are commonly P4. Short mats and dripping trolleys turn those transitions into the first place people slip.

Amenities and parents rooms

Amenities and parents rooms are wet areas used by the public, including children. They sit with bathrooms and changerooms in the test plan. Small areas can be cordoned briefly so the rest of the centre keeps trading.

Food courts, cafes and kitchen floors

Food courts and cafe seating sit next to kitchens that spend the day wet from cleaning and splashes and coated in oil and grease. Water, oil, grease and constant foot traffic make commercial kitchens and hospitality floors some of the highest slip-risk surfaces in any building. Wet processing and food preparation areas sit among the location types HB 198:2014 recommends to have high wet slip resistance; commercial kitchens are commonly recommended to achieve P5.

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 can make a genuinely dangerous surface look acceptable. The areas worth testing include the cook line and fryers, dishwash and pot wash, prep and sinks, cool-room entries, bar floors, and the path from kitchen to service.

Kitchen floors also drift. 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. Periodic testing matters here more than almost anywhere else in the centre. Our guide to slip resistance for commercial kitchens and hospitality floors covers the obligations, the wet method and the rectification path.

Why the wet result counts

A working kitchen floor is contaminated for most of the day, unlike a foyer that is only occasionally wet. Wet pendulum testing to AS 4663:2013 produces a P classification for the moment staff and the public actually slip.

There is no single rule that a kitchen floor must hit one number. WHS duties require the business in control to manage slip risk so far as is reasonably practicable. For a floor already in service, the practical benchmark is HB 198:2014 measured under AS 4663:2013.

What you receive

Clear P ratings, and D classifications where dry friction is used, for every agreed location
Plain-English interpretation against HB 198:2014 guidance
Prioritised findings across the asset, ranked by risk
Slip treatment or non-slip coating by Premrest if a floor fails
Retesting after works so the new slip rating is documented

If a retail floor fails

When a walkway, produce zone or food-court tile sits below the recommended classification, Premrest specifies a slip treatment or non-slip coating matched to the surface, then we retest. Deep cleaning and strip-back is often the first question: detergent residue, polish or grime can be the culprit. Where the surface itself is the problem, options range from chemical treatments on tiles and stone to clear films and coatings.

Works can be scheduled after hours in the same way as the test, so trading is not the constraint. The scope of works and quote arrive in the client app. See what to do when a floor fails a slip test for triage and interim controls.

Retail floors in Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane

Shopping centre common areas, supermarkets and strip retail across the three metro areas, including high street and dining precincts. After-hours visits are available where trade cannot stop.

Also see commercial buildings, aged care and industrial, or the industries hub.

Slip testing for retail and shopping centres