Foot Protection

FOOT PROTECTION

Safety Footwear.

The footwear worn in the workplace should be chosen to avoid recognized types of injuries such as:

  • Contact with falling, rolling or cutting objects,
  • Penetration through soles or uppers (stepping on sharp and pointed elements),
  • Anti-static and electrical hazards,
  • Contact with chemicals and biological agents,
  • Exposure to thermal factors (cold and heat) as well as molten metals,
  • Wet and slippery surfaces.
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  • Insole:

Non-removable component used to form the base of the shoe to which the upper is usually attached.

  • Insock:

Removable or non-removable footwear component used to cover part or the entire insole.

NOTE! “Non-removable” means that the insock cannot be removed without being damaged.

  • Lining:

Material covering the inner surface of the upper, the layer in direct contact with the wearer's foot.

  • Cleat:

Protruding part of the outer surface of the sole.

  • Rigid outsole:

Sole which cannot be bent at an angle of 45° under a load of 30 N, tested in accordance with ISO 20344 .

  • Cellular outsole:

Outsole which has a density of 0.9 g/ml or less with a cell structure that is visible under 10" magnification.

  • Penetration-resistant insert:

Footwear component placed in the sole in order to provide protection against mechanical penetration.

  • Safety toecap:

Built-in footwear component designed to protect the toes of the wearer from impacts of an energy level of at least 200 J and compression at a load of at least 15 kN.

  • Seat region counter area:

Rear 10 % of the total length of the footwear (upper and sole)

  • Water penetration:

In accordance with ISO 20344:2011, water penetration is expressed as the mass increase of the absorbent cloth after 60 min.

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Legend: 1 Facing, 2 Tongue, 3 Collar, 4 Upper, 5 Vamp Lining, 6 Insock, 7 Toecap, 8 Edge Covering, eg. Foam Strip, 9 Outsole, 10 Cleat,

11 Penetration-Resistant Insert, 12 Insole, 13 Heel, 14 Strobel Stitching, 15 Quarter, 16 Vamp

Source: EN ISO 20345:2011 

There are three basic standards characterizing requirements for footwear designed for foot and leg protection, i.e.

  • EN ISO 20345  – Safety Footwear,
  • EN ISO 20346  – Protective Footwear,
  • EN ISO 20347  – Occupational Footwear.

Safety footwear

Safety footwear is fitted with toecaps designed to ensure protection against impact when tested at an energy level of at least 200 J and against compression when tested at a compression load of at least 15 kN .

Protective footwear

Protective safety footwear is fitted with toecaps designed to ensure protection against impact when tested at an energy level of at least 100 J and against compression when tested at a compression load of at least 10 kN.

Occupational footwear

The “occupational footwear” does not include toecaps designed for protection against impact force and compression load. These types of footwear are designed for workplaces and activities where both hazards, such as impact and compression, to feet and toes were not identified during the risk assessments.

Protective parameters

The protective parameters for safety, protective and occupational footwear, confirmed by laboratory tests, takes into account.

Each type of safety, protective or occupational footwear should meet the requirements on slip Slips, trips and falls resistance, and one of the three slip resistance symbols should be added to the marking of the footwear. These symbols according to the related testing mode, are name

  • SRA – slip resistance on ceramic tile floor with NaLS solution,
  • SRB – slip resistance on steel floor with glycerine,
  • SRC – slip resistance on both ceramic tile floor with NaLS and steel floor with glycerine.

Categories and symbols of safety, protective or occupational footwear, with regard to basic and additional requirements defined in the related standards, are listed in table 1.

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Category of footwear

Class

Requirements

Safety

Protective

Occupational

EN ISO 20345

EN ISO 20346

EN ISO 20347

SB

PB

OB

I or II

Basic requirements

S1

P1

O1

I

* Closed seat region

  • Antistatic properties
  • Energy absorption of seat region
  • Resistance to fuel oil

S2

P2

O2

I

As S1 or P1 or O1, plus:

  • Water penetration and absorption

S3

P3

O3

I

As S2 or P2 or O2, plus:

  • Penetration resistance
  • Cleated outsole

S4

P4

O4

II

* Closed seat region

  • Antistatic properties
  • Energy absorption of seat region
  • Resistance to fuel oil

S5

P5

O5

II

As S4 or P4 or O4 plus:

  • Penetration resistance
  • Cleated outsole

Source: EN ISO 20345:2011, EN ISO 20346:2004, EN ISO 20347:2011 

P - Penetration resistance (footwear with anti-penetration insert).

C - Conductive footwear.

A - Antistatic footwear (it should be noted, that antistatic footwear cannot guarantee adequate protection against related electric shock as it only introduces a resistance between foot and floor).

I - Electrically insulating footwear.

HI - Heat insulation (footwear with soles resistant to heat environment conditions).

CI - Cold insulation (footwear with soles resistant to cold environment conditions).

E - Energy absorption of seat region.

WR - Water resistance.

M - Metatarsal protection (requirement related only to safety and protective footwear).

AN - Ankle protection.

CR - Cut resistance.

    • Requirements related to the upper:

WRU - Water penetration and absorption.

    • Requirements related to the outsole:

HRO - Resistance to hot contact;

FO - Resistance to fuel oil.

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Selection

Selection of footwear designed for protection of feet and legs should be preceded by a professional risk assessment [OSH management and risk governance (ERO-10-06a -10)] which includes:

  • Identification of all possible risk factors occurring in the workplace,
  • Characteristic of exposure of workers to harmful factors, eg. :

- Weight of the item, which can fall down or crash on the foot,

- Type, Concentration And Physical State Of A Chemical (Acids, Bases, Solvents, Etc.),

- Ambient Conditions, Temperature And Humidity.

  • Working Conditions, eg.:

- Work In A Standing Position,

- Activities Involving Constant Movement,

- Walking On Ladders And Stairs,

- Movement On Smooth And Slippery Surfaces,

- Work In Difficult Field Conditions,

- Working On An Open Space (Outdoor Activities),

- Work In Confined Spaces With Constant Temperature.