Every employer should make sure that any employees who might be exposed to a health and safety risks are provided with suitable personal protective equipment (PPE) - but only if every attempt to mitigate, control or eliminate the hazard or risk has first been attempted.
Safety Footwear Standards
Identify the shoes and boots you need to wear in the workplace according to the safety footwear standards
The Health and Safety Law, which regulates the PPE regulation 2016, states that it is the responsibility of the employer to ensure their employees are properly equipped for the work they undertake, according to the safety footwear standards specified by BS EN ISO 20345.
Last year, changes to the footwear standard EN ISO 20345 were made. In May 2023, the EN ISO 20345:2022 Personal Protective Equipment - Safety Footwear standard was harmonised. We've created expert advice for everything you need to know about the changes to the footwear standard: BS EN ISO 20345:2011.
Reducing the Risk
When you're considering the safety of employees, engineering controls and safe systems should be your first port of call. PPE should be secondary to these, used to further protect against risks to health and safety rather than being used as a standalone measure. But what does this mean when it comes to footwear?
It's the employer's duty to select the correct PPE and safety footwear, ensuring it is suitable for the task and environment, and the relevant people are trained to use it. It's also important that the employer understands how to clean and maintain the chosen footwear, and they’re aware of when to replace PPE.
Safety Footwear Requirements
There are specific safety standards surrounding footwear, namely BS EN ISO 20345. This standard identifies the basic and optional requirements for general purpose safety footwear.
Outside of general-purpose safety footwear, there are special risks related to specific jobs and separate standards depend on the risk involved. These cover things such as footwear for firefighters, footwear protecting against chemicals, footwear protecting against risks in foundries and welding and footwear for live working electrical protection.
Once the correct safety specification has been identified, safety footwear could conform to one of the following relevant standards:
Explanation of Marking Codes Used to Define Level of Protection
BS EN ISO 20347: Personal Protective Equipment - Occupational Footwear
The particular standard identifies the requirements for occupational footwear which is not exposed to any mechanical risks, including impact or compression.
BS EN ISO 20349: Personal Protective Equipment. Footwear Protecting Against Risks in Foundries and Welding
Part 1 of this standard specifies the requirements and test methods for protecting users against the potential risks in foundries.
Part 2 of this standard specifies the requirements and test methods for protecting users against the potential risks such as those encountered during welding and allied processes.
Footwear complying with BS EN ISO 20349 also offers protection as defined in BS EN 20345.
BS EN ISO 20345: Personal protective equipment - Safety Footwear
This standard specifies basic and optional requirements for general purpose safety footwear, including slip resistance, mechanical and thermal risks and ergonomic behaviour.
Safety Basic (SB) footwear protects the wearer's toes against mechanical risk, tested with 200J impact energy and 15kN compression force.
| CLASS I FOOTWEAR: Footwear made from leather and other materials excluding all-rubber or all-polymeric footwear |
|
|---|---|
| S1 | Safety basic + Closed seat region + Antistatic + Energy absorption of the seat region + Fuel oil resistant outsoles |
| S2 | As S1 plus: Water resistance of the upper |
| S3 | As S2 plus: Penetration resistance of the outsole + Cleated outsoles |
| CLASS II FOOTWEAR: All-rubber (i.e. entirely vulcanized) or all-polymeric (i.e. entirely moulded) footwear |
|
|---|---|
| S4 | Safety Basic + Closed seat region + Antistatic properties + Energy absorption of seat region + Resistance to fuel oil |
| S5 | As S4, plus: Penetration resistance + Cleated outsole |
Safety Testing of Footwear
It’s important to buy your PPE from trusted sources, who test the products on an ongoing basis to make sure they continue to keep workers safe.
More from Arco
Resources
View and download sources of guidance and information on safety footwear including videos and how-to-guides when selecting the right safety footwear for the job.
Quality Assurance
To influence industry standards we develop, source and supply the highest quality products. Find out about the safety footwear tests we carry out in our accredited Product Assurance Laboratory.
Recommended Products
Browse our innovative range of safety footwear today. Offering a wide selection of trusted brands, innovative materials and in-house designs, you’ll find the best safety boots and shoes for your working environment here at Arco.
