EN ISO Standards Explained (Safety Footwear)
When it comes to ensuring the safety and protection of your feet in hazardous environments, it's crucial to choose the right safety footwear.
To help you make an informed decision, understanding safety footwear standards and the EN symbols associated with them is essential.
This page aims to provide you with a comprehensive overview of the EN symbols commonly found on safety footwear, enabling you to select the appropriate footwear for your specific needs.
Safety Boots - Safety Shoes - Safety Trainers
EN ISO 20345:2011 Safety Footwear
This standard applies to safety footwear that provides protection against impacts, punctures, and various other hazards.
Footwear meeting this standard is classified into different safety categories, each denoted by a specific code:
• SB: Basic Safety Footwear: Provides toe protection against impacts up to 200 joules and compression up to 15,000 newtons.
• S1: Safety Footwear: Similar to SB, with the addition of antistatic properties and energy absorption in the heel region.
• S1P: Safety Footwear with Penetration Resistance: Includes all features of S1, with the added protection against penetration by sharp objects.
• S2: Safety Footwear with Water Resistance: Offers all the characteristics of S1, plus resistance to water penetration.
• S3: Safety Footwear with Enhanced Water Resistance and Penetration Resistance: Combines the features of S2 with increased penetration resistance and additional protection against the risks posed by sharp objects.
• S4: S4 offers the same features as S1-rated footwear but is made from a rubber upper or entirely-moulded polymer, such as a Wellington boot. S4-rated footwear offers waterproof and leak-proof properties.
• S5: S5 offers the same features as S4-rated footwear as well as additional protection in the form of midsole penetration resistance.
• S6: S6 offers the same features as S2-rated footwear plus additional protection in the form of water resistance for the whole piece of footwear. The S6 rating was introduced within the EN ISO 20345:2022 standard.
• S7: S7 offers the same features as S3-rated footwear plus additional protection in the form of water resistance for the whole piece of footwear. The S7 rating was introduced within the EN ISO 20345:2022 standard.
Additional Symbols
In addition to the primary EN symbols, supplementary symbols provide information about additional features and properties of safety footwear.
Some commonly used symbols include:
• E: Indicates that the footwear complies with the standards for energy absorption in the heel region.
• A: Antistatic footwear
• M: Metatarsal protection
• WRU: Denotes water resistance of the upper material.
• WR: Whole shoe waterproof
• P: Indicates penetration resistance of the outsole.
• HI: Specifies that the footwear provides insulation against heat.
• CI: Indicates that the footwear provides insulation against cold.
• FO: Resistance to oil and petrol
• HRO: Denotes resistance to heat on the outsole.
• SRC: Specifies that the footwear meets the highest level of slip resistance requirements on both ceramic and steel surfaces.