Safety shoes are Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) designed exclusively to protect the feet of workers in factories, construction sites, industrial kitchens and all others who carry out activities that put their feet and toes at risk of accidents. Before choosing any PPE, what do you need to know?
Our feet are very important organs in human locomotion. Walking is only possible because of the limbs, which support load distribution and provide stability to the body. When we talk about safety at work, the upper and more delicate limbs immediately come to mind, but neglecting the feet is a mistake. The weight of the body is supported by six points of support, but it is the heel bone that bears almost half the load.
Safety footwear is governed by the standard EN ISO 20345.What does it mean?
These are shoes with appropriate characteristics to protect the wearer against injuries that may result from accidents in the work sectors for which the footwear has been designed, equipped with appropriate toecaps to provide protection against shocks, when tested with an energy level of 200J.
Within this EN ISO 20345 standard, there are four codes that correspond to the first type: SB, S1, S2 and S3. The second type has 2 codes in addition to SB, which are S4 and S5.
|
SYMBOL |
REQUIREMENTS/FEATURES |
| SB | It stands for Basic Safety and is therefore the lowest level of safety in this standard. Footwear classified as SB is slip-resistant and has a safety toe cap that protects your feet against impacts of up to 200J. |
| S1 | The S1 shoe has all the features of the SB, has a closed heel area, as well as energy absorption in the heel and is antistatic and resistant to oils. Example: Acebo |
| S1P | It has all the features of the S1 plus puncture resistance (insole). Example: Suez |
| S2 | It has all the characteristics of S1 and prevents water penetration and absorption. Example: Cedro |
| S3 | It has all the features of the S2 and has a protective insole, which prevents sharp objects from penetrating the sole and causing an injury. Example: Le Mans Navy |
| S4 | It has all the features of the S1, but the uppers have to be made of rubber or polymeric materials. |
| S5 | It has all the features of the S4 and a protective insole. Example: PVC S5 Water Boot |
The following codes belong to the EN ISO 20347 standard, which means that they are occupational footwear codes, i.e. they protect the wearer against injuries that can result from accidents at work, and they have special protection for the toes.
| SYMBOL | REQUIREMENTS/FEATURES |
| OB | OB shoes meet the basic requirements of having non-slip soles. |
| O1 | It is non-slip, has a closed heel area, as well as energy absorption in the heel and is anti-static. |
| O2 | It has all the characteristics of O1 and prevents water penetration and absorption. |
| O3 | It has all the features of the O2, and has a protective insole. |
| O4 | It has all the features of the O1, but the uppers of the shoes have to be made of rubber, or polymeric materials |
| O5 | It has all the features of the O4 and a protective insole. |
For example, the Robusta GTX HORUShas the symbol O2.
Having a non-slip sole is extremely important to protect you in your day-to-day work. A small fall can cause serious injury. To prevent this from happening and you getting hurt, safety footwear is tested and then classified into three different anti-slip categories.
- SRA footwear passed the test on ceramic flooring with detergent.
- footwear passed the test on a stainless steel floor with glycerine.
- SRC footwear has passed both anti-slip tests, so it is the highest level.
Most of the footwear NorSafe stocks is SRC, which has the highest level of anti-slip.
In addition to the codes already mentioned, there are also additional codes, such as:
A - Anti-static
E - Energy Absorption in the Heel
P - Insole Penetration Resistance
C - Driver footwear
WRU - Uppers Resistant to Water Penetration and Absorption
WR - Water-resistant footwear
CI - Insulation against the cold
HI - Heat insulation
HRO - Heat Resistance
FO - Sole Resistance to Oils
M - Metatarsal protection (only for EN ISO 20345)
AN - Ankle protection
CR - Heel Cut Resistance
Now that you know the meaning of each safety footwear code, all that's left to do is put your knowledge into practice and choose your new pair of shoes or boots that are best suited to your workplace.
The budget may vary depending on the additional features in the safety shoes. For example, the https://www.norsafe.pt/produto/bota-cofra-pele-hidrofuga-shimizu-s3-wr-hi-ci-hro-src/ Shimizu S WR HI CI HRO SRC Hydrophobic Leather Cofra Boot (On order) is S3 WR HI CI HRO SRC, contains many additional technical features that make the boot more expensive.
NorSafe offers a wide range of footwear at different prices within the same basic feature, to suit your budget.
For example, within S1P, we have shoes from +/- 25€ to 110€. The same goes for S3 shoes, in which we have footwear from +/- 25€ to 130€.
The most important thing is that you feel comfortable in your work environment!
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