Standards and Directives

Of course, based on regulation (EU) 2016/425 on personal protective equipment (PPE) our products meet all the necessary standards, and not just that – we always require that little bit more from our products. This ensures the extra safety that our customers – rightly – expect from us.

Safety footwear

EN ISO 20345 – Personal protective equipment, safety shoes

The standard EN ISO 20345 defines both the basic and additional requirements for safety shoes for commercial use. Footwear in accordance with EN ISO 20345 is intended to protect the wearer from bumps, crushing, falling or rolling objects, from walking into sharp or pointed objects, heat or cold, and hot substances.

Examples of aspects dealt with in the standard are handling mechanical risks, slip resistance, thermal risks and ergonomic properties. Additional standards relating to individual activities deal with risks in relation to footwear with electrical insulation, for example, and shoes to protect against chemicals, etc.

The basic requirements described in EN ISO 20345 include:

height of the upper
heel area on boots
minimum length, pressure and bump impact resistance of the toe cap
water vapour permeability and water vapour number of the upper
outsole thickness and abrasion resistance of the outsole

Safety footwear is divided into different protection classes depending on the requirements fulfilled. The safety footwear in protection class SB fulfil the minimum requirements in accordance with EN ISO 20345. Safety footwear with additional requirements are divided into protection classes S1 to S5 depending in the properties

Labelling

Footwear symbols for industrial usage

Basic requirements/additional requirements/categories e.g. for leather shoes	Safety footwear EN ISO 20345	Occupational footwear EN ISO 20347
Basic requirements for shoes and impact resistance of toecaps	SB 200 Joule	OB no requirement
Additional requirements: Closed seat region Antistatic properties Energy absorption of seat region Fuel resistance	S1	O1 (without resistance to fuels)
Additional requirements: as above, plus water penetration and absorption	S2	O2
Additional requirements: as above, plus Penetration resistance* Cleated outsole	S3	O3
Basic requirements/additional requirements/categories e.g. for shoes made from PVC or PU
Basic requirements for shoes and impact resistance of toecaps	SB 200 Joule	OB no requirement
Additional requirements: Antistatic properties Energy absorption of seat region Fuel resistance Penetration resistance* Cleated outsole	S5	O5
The choice of a particular shoe depends on the type of occupational risk. As with all footwear, additional requirements may exist (e.g. in terms of heat and cold insulation, penetration resistance or electrical resistance via ESD). These shoes are then marked accordingly. The testing principles for all basic and additional requirements are specified in EN ISO 20344.

One of the three following requirements must be met and labelled in the shoe:

Label	Characteristics tested	Test conditions	Friction coefficient
SRA	Slip resistance on ceramic tile floors with sodium lauryl sulfate solution (SLS)	Forward slip of the heel Forward slip on a flat surface	No less than 0.28 No less than 0.32
SRB	Slip resistance on steel floors with glycerol	Forward slip of the heel Forward slip on a flat surface	No less than 0.13 No less than 0.18
SRC	Slip resistance on ceramic tile floors with sodium lauryl sulfate solution and on steel floors with glycerol	Includes all test conditions cited under a. and b.

Additional requirements for special applications with corresponding symbols

Symbol	Risk covered	EN ISO 20345					EN ISO 20347
Symbol	Risk covered	SB	S1	S2	S3	S5	OB	O1	O2	O3
–	Basic	✓	✓	✓	✓	✓	✓	✓	✓	✓
P	Penetration resistance*	⍟	⍟	⍟	✓	✓	⍟	⍟	⍟	✓
A	Antistatic footwear	⍟	✓	✓	✓	✓	⍟	✓	✓	✓
E	Energy absorption around heel	⍟	✓	✓	✓	✓	⍟	✓	✓	✓
HI	Heat insulation	⍟	⍟	⍟	⍟	⍟	⍟	⍟	⍟	⍟
CI	Cold insulation	⍟	⍟	⍟	⍟	⍟	⍟	⍟	⍟	⍟
WRU	Water resistance of upper	⍟		✓	✓		⍟		✓	✓
HRO	Heat resistance of outsole (+300 °C/min)	⍟	⍟	⍟	⍟	⍟	⍟	⍟	⍟	⍟
WR	Whole shoe waterproof	⍟	⍟	⍟	⍟		⍟	⍟	⍟	⍟
M	Metatarsal protection	⍟	⍟	⍟	⍟	⍟	⍟	⍟	⍟	⍟
FO	Resistance to oil and petrol	⍟	✓	✓	✓	✓	⍟	⍟	⍟	⍟

✓ => Meets the specific requirement
⍟ => Requirement can be met but is not stipulated

* Penetration resistance

Warning – Please note that the penetration resistance of this footwear has been measured in the laboratory using a truncated nail of diameter 4.5 mm and a force of 1,100 N. Higher forces or nails of smaller diameter will increase the risk of penetration occurring. In such circumstances alternative preventative measures should be considered.
Two generic types of penetration resistant insert are currently available in PPE footwear. These are metal types and those from non-metal materials. Both types meet the minimum requirements for penetration resistance of the standard marked on this footwear but each has different additional advantages or disadvantages including the following:

Metal: Is less affected by the shape of the sharp object/hazard (i.e. diameter, geometry, sharpness) but due to shoemaking limitations does not cover the entire lower area of the shoe.

Non-metal: May be lighter, more flexible and provide greater coverage area when compared with metal but the penetration resistance may vary more depending on the shape of the sharp object/hazard (i. e. diameter, geometry, sharpness). For more information about the type of penetration resistant insert provided in your footwear please contact the manufacturer or supplier detailed on these instructions.