Safety Footwear Buyer's Guide

In a dangerous working environment, safety and protection is very important. In areas where there is the potential for harm, steps must be taken to provide protection against injury and strain. There are various ranges of safety wear and equipment that can protect your body from possible injuries.

Safety footwear offers a fantastic level of protection for your feet and come in many fashionable styles and colours to suit every taste and dress code. There are safety boots, rigger boots, safety trainers and safety shoes; so there is no reason why safe should mean unfashionable. 

Each style of footwear has its own individual benefits but all have to conform to a set of safety standards, represented by various codes and logos that you should look out for when considering a pair of safety shoes.

Safety Footwear Standards Explained

The safety footwear standards are referred to as EN345, EN ISO 20345:2004 and EN ISO 20345:2007. These standard codes should be looked for when you are browsing for safety footwear, these codes will ensure the product you buy is going to offer you adequate protection according to the safety footwear standards guide.

All footwear designed before 2004 and still manufactured today will carry the EN ISO 20345:2004 code. The EN ISO 20345:2007 code is the latest standard for footwear designed or retested after 2007. This latest standard specifies that all safety footwear must have toe protection. Safety footwear is rated by category, dependant on the additional safety features they may have. These categories are represented by a combination of letters and numbers.

Safety Rating Categories

Below are the safety rating categories you need to consider when looking to purchase safety footwear. Some footwear will have basic protection, others will have various safety features and the ratings are based on the amount of features footwear have. Using this rating system is a good way of ensuring you purchase footwear capable of protecting you as required.

  • SB - This rating indicates that the safety footwear has 200 Joule toe protection. SB rated footwear can have additional features, but this is the most basic of safety footwear.
  • SB-P - has all the same features as SB with the addition of midsole penetration protection. This protection can be a stainless steel insert in the sole, aluminium insert or provided by a Kevlar insert. To meet this standard, penetration resistant soles must be able to resist penetration from objects such as nails, to a penetration force of 1100N.
  • S1 - S1 footwear, in addition to the 200 Joule toe protection is classed as anti-static footwear, meaning that you are protected from nasty static shocks that static charge, often built up in the body because of certain types of clothing, seating materials and climate factors can produce. S1 footwear also has a sole resistant to fuel oil and energy absorption in the heel.
  • S1-P - S1-P footwear has all the features of S1 footwear, with the addition of midsole penetration protection, as explained in the SB-P category.
  • S2 - S2 footwear has 200 Joule toe protection and is classed as anti-static footwear, meaning that you are protected from nasty static shocks that static charge, often built up in the body because of certain types of clothing, seating materials and climate factors can produce. S2 footwear also has a sole resistant to fuel oil, water resistant upper and energy absorption in the heel.
  • S3 - S3 footwear has all the features of S2 footwear, plus the addition of midsole penetration protection.
  • S4 - S4 footwear is classed as anti-static and has a fuel oil resistant sole, shock absorbent heel and is also waterproof and leak proof, making them ideal for use in wet conditions.
  • SB - S5 footwear has all the same features as S4 but have the added protection of midsole penetration protection.

Safety Footwear Description Abbreviations

There are also a few abbreviations that may pop up on safety footwear descriptions that you should make yourself aware of. You may find yourself having to decode a vast amount of jargon when choosing suitable safety footwear, so it would pay to refer to the list below, to ensure you purchase the correct footwear for the job.

Key Abbreviations:

(A)  - Anti-Static Protection

(P)  - Midsole Penetration Protection

(E) - Energy Absorption

(WRU) - Water Resistant Upper

(HRO) - Heat Resistant Outsole. To resist 300°C for 60 seconds

(CI) - Insulation Against Cold

(HI) - Insulation Against Hot

(ESD) - Electro Static Discharge

Here at Machine Mart you are bound to find footwear that is right for you. We stock safety shoes, boots and trainers from leading brands such as DeWalt, Regata, Oregon, Bench, Oxford and JCB. We have a wide range of styles, colours and sizes, to suit every taste and need.

We also stock a variety of other safety wear, including trousers, jackets, body warmers, gloves, head gear and hi-vis clothing among others, at great prices. Safety is very important, so ensuring you have all the protection you need is vital.