Protect your Feet with this Guide on Shoe Safety Standards

All safety shoes need to meet the basic safety measures specified by the ISO (International Organisation for Standardisation). In Asia, there are two primary standards for classifying safety shoes. They are ASTM 2413 and EN ISO 20345. They are described as

ASTM 2413

ASTM stands for the American Society for Testing and Materials. It is given by an international standards organisation which defines standards and certifications. They introduced two new standards in 2005, the F2413 Standard for Performance Requirements and F2412 Standard for Foot Protection Test Methods. Its requirements include:

Impact resistance for the toe area

Four classifications of impact resistance are: Class 75 (2500 pounds) for men, Class 75 for women, Class 50 (1000 pounds) for men, and class 50 for men. Impact resistance is measured by dropping a weight from a height of 1.5 feet at a particular speed. The footwear is supposed to be designed to protect the toes from an impact of 75 foot-pounds.

Conductive characteristics

These reduce risks related to static electricity. These shoes are designed to discharge static electricity from the body of a person to the ground through the shoes.

Protection against puncture 

This is to reduce the probability of the wearer’s sole being punctured by any sharp object. A puncture resistant plate should be positioned between the insole and outsole.

Static dissipative properties

This reduces the buildup of excess static electricity by transmitting it into the ground.

Metatarsal impact protection

This reduces injuries whenever the toe and the metatarsal area of the foot are exposed. Footwear must be designed in a way that a metatarsal impact guard is positioned partially over the protective toe cap and extended to cover the metatarsal bone area.

EN ISO 20345

This is the current standard for safety shoes across Europe. It was updated in 2011 to make the standards sterner. It specifies that all safety footwear must have toe protection, and sets a standard of 200-joules impact-resistance (equivalent to a 20kg weight dropped 1,020mm onto the toes) and a 15KN compression test (equivalent to 1.5 tonnes resting on the toe area). This safety standard is split up into different safety classes. According to the EN ISO 20345, every single safety shoe will be rigorously tested on all aspects and will then be granted an S- class.

The following is a complete list of the standards to be fulfilled under each safety class. 

Class 1 Safety Footwear

These are made out of leather and other materials excluding rubber. This is split into several categories:

• SB Requirements: Basic Toe protection, Slip Resistance

• S1 Requirements: Basic Toe Protection, Slip Resistance, Closed Heel, Antistatic, Oil and Fuel Resistance, Heel Energy Absorption

• S1P Requirements: Basic Toe Protection, Slip Resistance, Closed Heel, Antistatic, Oil and Fuel Resistance, Heel Energy Absorption, Puncture Resistance

• S2 Requirements: Basic Toe Protection, Slip Resistance, Closed Heel, Antistatic, Oil and Fuel Resistance, Heel Energy Absorption, Water Repellent Uppers

• S3 Requirements: Basic Toe Protection, Slip Resistance, Closed Heel, Antistatic, Oil and Fuel Resistance, Heel Energy Absorption, Puncture Resistance, Water Repellent Uppers, Cleated Outside

Class 2 Safety Footwear

These are manufactured from a single piece of rubber or other polymers. This is split into two categories: 

• S4 Requirements: Basic Toe Protection, Slip Resistance, Closed Heel, Antistatic, Oil and Fuel Resistance, Heel Energy Absorption, Water Repellent Uppers

• S5 Requirements: Basic Toe Protection, Slip Resistance, Closed Heel, Antistatic, Oil and Fuel Resistance, Heel Energy Absorption, Water Repellent Uppers, Puncture Resistance, Cleated Outside

The above-mentioned standards might help you in identifying the correct shoes for your profession and recognise any risks that your feet might face thereby encouraging you to buy proper, approved footwear in the future. For any queries, you can visit us at supplystreet.org.