Corrected against current Queensland workplace, NCC and testing guidance on 20 July 2026.

Slip-resistant flooring in Brisbane should be selected from the actual location, likely contaminants, users, footwear, tasks, gradients, drainage, cleaning and maintenance. A material name, coating additive, gloss level or isolated test class does not make a floor universally safe.

This guide explains how to prepare a useful flooring brief and testing plan. It does not assign a mandatory class to a generic room, certify an existing floor or replace the project's WHS, access, building, design or testing process.

Start with the duty and the real use of the floor

For Queensland workplaces, section 40 of the Work Health and Safety Regulation 2011 requires, so far as is reasonably practicable, floors and other surfaces to be designed, installed and maintained so work can be carried out without risk to health and safety. It does not prescribe one finish or rating for every workplace.

Workplace Health and Safety Queensland's floor and ground-surface guidance explains that there is no one correct or safe slip-resistance level. Suitability depends on the surface, contaminants, work, cleaning, users, footwear, activity and environment.

Record the conditions before discussing a product:

  • normally dry, occasionally wet, frequently wet, oily, greasy, dusty or mixed contamination;
  • pedestrians, customers, children, mobility aids, trolleys, pallets, vehicles or carried loads;
  • footwear, pace, turning, pushing, pulling and visibility;
  • ramps, stairs, entries, thresholds, drains, falls and changes between surfaces;
  • indoor, external, sun-exposed, sheltered and weather-driven areas; and
  • cleaning products, equipment, frequency, drying and spill response in practice.

Separate building requirements from workplace risk controls

The National Construction Code contains slip-resistance provisions for stairways, landings and ramps. The ABCB's slip-resistance advisory note explains the relevant Deemed-to-Satisfy context. The responsible building professional must identify the applicable NCC edition, volume, state adoption, building classification, location and wet or dry condition.

Other areas may be governed by workplace risk management, project specifications, access requirements, contracts or other rules. Do not take a class recommended for one location and present it as a universal legal requirement for every kitchen, pool, warehouse, showroom or home.

Specify whether evidence is for a new material or an existing floor

Slip testing uses different standards and methods for new pedestrian surface materials and existing pedestrian surfaces. NATA's current surface-friction testing accreditation criteria lists AS 4586 for classifying new pedestrian surface materials and AS 4663 for measuring existing pedestrian surfaces, and states that current versions should be used.

A report is useful only when its method, specimen or installed area, surface condition, test locations and limitations match the decision being made. Before testing, document:

  1. the question the test must answer;
  2. the applicable method and required wet or dry condition;
  3. the material, coating build, texture and sample preparation;
  4. installed locations, transitions and representative risk zones;
  5. who selects the locations and interprets the result;
  6. the acceptance criteria and project authority that set them; and
  7. what happens if a sample, trial or installed area does not meet the brief.

If accreditation is required, confirm that the laboratory's current NATA scope covers the requested method and service. Do not promise a fixed testing price or turnaround without a quotation from the selected provider.

Compare flooring systems as complete assemblies

Compare the finished build-up and supporting evidence for the actual location rather than choosing from a generic finish name.

Mechanically polished concrete

Aggregate exposure and sheen do not establish slip performance by themselves. Densifiers, guards, sealers, cleaning and wear can affect the final surface. Mechanically polished concrete may suit selected internal areas when the project requirements and evidence support it, but it should not be described as automatically poor, safe or unsafe when wet.

Honed, sealed and external concrete

External and wet-exposed areas need drainage, falls, joints, weather, sunlight, contamination and the complete sealer or treatment considered together. A surface texture that helps in one condition can be harder to clean or behave differently after wear. Confirm product limits and project-specific evidence.

Epoxy and other resin flooring

Broadcast aggregate or another texture can be incorporated into a compatible resin system, but more texture can retain contaminants and increase cleaning effort. Primer, body coat, aggregate, topcoat, film build, repairs, coves, drains and transitions all affect the finished system. No additive name guarantees a class or ongoing result.

For every option, ask whether the evidence applies to the exact proposed system, colour, texture and application rather than a generic product family.

Design drainage, cleaning and maintenance with the surface

A floor cannot compensate for uncontrolled leaks, poor drainage, delayed spill response, unsuitable footwear or a cleaning process that leaves residue. Workplace Health and Safety Queensland's floor-cleaning guidance recommends methods that leave a clean, dry surface, avoid product build-up and preserve slip-resistant properties.

The handover should identify approved cleaning chemistry and equipment, spill response, drying or access controls, inspection frequency, wear indicators, local damage and the trigger for competent reassessment or testing. A test result at handover does not guarantee unchanged performance after contamination, coating wear, polishing, repairs or a change of use.

Assess an existing slippery floor before adding a treatment

Investigate when and where incidents or near misses occur, the contaminant, drainage, lighting, footwear, cleaning, surface condition and changes in operation. Residue or a failed maintenance process may need a different response from an unsuitable floor material.

Potential work can include cleaning-process correction, local repair, drainage or entry controls, mats, staging, a compatible treatment, recoating or replacement. Trial any surface treatment in a representative area and agree appearance, cleanability, evidence and maintenance before extending it. Etching, grinding or coating can permanently change the floor and may introduce silica, chemical, isolation and access risks that need separate control.

Mechanical processing of concrete can generate respirable crystalline silica. Queensland's crystalline-silica-substance processing requirements cover assessment, control, documentation and training where applicable.

Slip-resistant flooring quote checklist

  1. Site, floor area, building use and operating hours.
  2. Dry, wet, oily, dusty, external or mixed conditions.
  3. Users, footwear, traffic, trolleys, loads and high-risk movements.
  4. Ramps, stairs, entries, drains, falls and adjoining finishes.
  5. Existing slab, coating, repairs, moisture and contamination.
  6. Cleaning, spill response, drying and maintenance resources.
  7. Applicable project requirements and who sets acceptance criteria.
  8. Sample or existing-floor test method, locations and reporting scope.
  9. Access, staging, silica or chemical controls and return-to-use limits.
  10. Handover records, inspection and reassessment triggers.

Discuss Wirth Floor's polished concrete, epoxy flooring and concrete preparation pathways, or send the site conditions and project brief for a Brisbane or South East Queensland assessment.

This is general planning information, not a compliance certificate, legal opinion, WHS risk assessment or slip-test interpretation. Final materials, controls, tests, criteria, design and maintenance must reflect the actual location and advice from the responsible professionals.