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How Can Schools Reduce Slip Risk on a Limited Budget?
Schools can reduce slip risk on a limited budget by measuring their floors first, then spending only where the readings show a real problem. Most of a school is low risk. A small number of zones, such as entrances, canteens, toilets and wet corridors, carry most of it. Fixing those at source is usually cheaper and more effective than adding signs, cleaning more or replacing floors across the whole building.
The short why
Budgets are tight, so the temptation is to buy what is cheap and visible. Signs, extra mopping and general reminders cost little, but they do not change how much grip a floor has. Measurement costs a little more up front, and then stops you spending on the wrong things. Money goes where the evidence points, not where the loudest worry is.
Why aren’t wet floor signs the budget answer?
This is the belief worth challenging directly. A wet floor sign is the cheapest control there is, and it feels like doing our bit. But a sign warns people that a hazard exists. It does not remove it. It also does nothing for a floor that is slippery while looking dry.
Signs are also a weak answer in a school. Young children do not always notice or react to them. If a sign is out every day, it is a symptom of a problem that is not being fixed, and it can show that a hazard was known and left in place. A safe floor needs control, not just a sign.
Where should a limited budget go first?
Think in terms of speed limits. Most of a school is a 70 mile an hour zone, where keeping floors clean, dry and clear of spills is enough. A smaller number of areas are closer to 20 mile an hour zones, where you need to go further:
- Entrances and lobbies, where wet weather meets indoor flooring
- Canteens, dining halls and servery areas
- Kitchens
- Toilets, washrooms, PE changing rooms and showers
- Busy corridors and stairs on wet days
- Swimming pool surrounds, where you have them
Focusing on these zones means you are not paying to test or treat dry classrooms that will never get wet.
What are the low-cost steps that make a real difference?
The CHIMES framework helps you find cost-effective fixes by looking at what drives the risk in each zone. Many of the answers cost little:
- Contamination: clear spills and grease quickly, and dry floors properly after mopping
- Maintenance: ask your cleaners or contractor which products and methods are used where, since the wrong product can leave a residue that lowers grip
- Environment: check that entrance matting is large enough and in good condition, and cover where feet are wettest
- Individual: avoid cleaning during busy transition times, and move deep cleaning out of school hours where you can
- Surface: this is the factor to measure rather than assume
These steps often involve changing a routine rather than buying anything. They also work best when you know which zones need them.
What if a floor tests poorly?
You do not always need to replace it. Slip resistance is assessed using pendulum testing, the method preferred by the HSE and relied on in UK slip litigation. It produces a Pendulum Test Value (PTV), and a PTV of 36 or above is generally regarded as low slip potential. Below that, risk rises as the number falls.
If a zone falls short, the next step depends on the cause. If a thorough clean with the right product lifts the reading, the issue was residue or contamination. If it stays low, the surface itself may need attention. In many cases, a surface can be treated to improve its grip, which is usually far cheaper than a new floor.
Slip Safety Services has found that organisations who measure first and then act on what they find see a 57%+ average reduction in slip incidents. The saving comes from targeting the real cause, rather than spreading effort and money thinly.
Is prevention cheaper than waiting for something to happen?
Waiting for a claim means paying for the consequences: an injured pupil or member of staff, time off, an investigation and possible insurance involvement. Prevention is an investment, not an expense, and a modest, targeted investment is usually easier to justify than the cost of dealing with an incident. No outcome can be guaranteed either way, and your insurer or adviser can tell you how your own position is affected.
Dated test results also give you something useful whatever happens. If a governor, parent or insurer asks how you manage slip risk, you can show what you measured, what you did and when you will check again. This is general information, not legal advice, so check what applies to your school with your local authority or trust’s health and safety adviser.
What to do about it
Start small and in order:
- List your wettest and busiest zones and rank them
- Find out when each was last tested, and whether the test was wet
- Review cleaning products, methods and timings with your cleaning team or contractor
- Check entrance matting for size and condition
- Get the highest-risk zones tested, rather than the whole building
- Fix what the readings show, in order of priority
- Re-test on a schedule, because grip changes with wear and cleaning
Next step
If you are not sure where your school should spend first, the Slip Prevention Scorecard takes under four minutes per building and gives you a clear starting point, with a score for each of the six CHIMES factors. For the fuller method behind measuring, improving and proving floor grip, Slipology by Christian Harris covers the process in depth.
Related questions
- Are schools required to test floor slip resistance?
- Why are school canteen floors often slippery?
- Why are school corridors and canteens slip hotspots?
- Can cleaning products make floors more slippery?