Different environments warrant different PTV targets. The HSE 36+ wet baseline is the floor across most UK pedestrian environments, but for vulnerable user populations or high-consequence settings, higher targets are best practice. This guide brings together the targets we typically apply across sectors.
The HSE PTV bands are derived for general adult ambulatory populations. Real environments have specific characteristics that warrant adjustment:
The targets below reflect best-practice adjustments for these factors, not regulatory minima.
| Environment | Best-practice wet PTV | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| General retail circulation | 36+ | HSE baseline; entrance zones may need higher |
| Supermarket entrance zone | 40+ | Wet-weather transfer makes 36 borderline |
| Hotel and office atrium | 40+ | Polished surfaces commonly fail this |
| Hospital ward circulation | 40+ | Cleaning cycle PTV variation |
| Hospital wet rooms | 45+ | Persistent moisture, mobility aids |
| Care home circulation | 40+ | Resident vulnerability; CQC focus |
| School circulation | 36+ | DfE baseline; running children context |
| Restaurant front-of-house | 36+ | Standard retail-grade |
| Pub bar zones | 40+ | Beer spillage |
| Pool surround (Slider 55) | 36+ and Class B ramp | Both methods needed |
| Changing rooms (Slider 55) | 36+ and Class B ramp | Both methods needed |
| Transport station concourse | 40+ | High footfall; luggage; time pressure |
| External public paving | 36+ | Year-round including algae conditions |
| Stair treads (any sector) | 40+ | Higher fall consequence |
| Pub cellar steps | 45+ | Highest fall consequence in pub estate |
| Environment | Specified R-rating |
|---|---|
| Restaurant production kitchen | R11 |
| Restaurant fryer/wok station | R12 |
| Industrial bakery production | R11–R12 |
| Meat/fish processing | R12–R13 |
| Dairy production | R11–R12 |
| Pot wash | R10–R11 |
| Slaughterhouse | R13 |
Industrial environments should also be pendulum-tested in service to verify the R-rating is being maintained.
Higher PTV targets are best-practice where the user population is vulnerable, the fall consequence is elevated, or contamination is severe and frequent. Care homes, hospital wet rooms, transport platforms and high atriums all warrant 40+ rather than 36+. The cost differential at procurement is typically modest; the protection differential is meaningful.
For genuinely dry-only environments — internal warehouse aisles away from loading bays, climate-controlled archives, dry electrical rooms — wet PTV is not the binding constraint, and dry PTV is the relevant value (where 36+ is also the typical target, but is more easily met).
Even in these environments, dust contamination should be considered. A 'dry' floor with flour or cement dust may behave like a wet floor in slip terms.
Many existing UK floors do not meet the best-practice targets above. The realistic path is:
This is the typical structure of an operator-side periodic testing programme.
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