Good
safety shoes protect feet from external hazards with a steel toe cap, anti-static sole and sturdy construction.
They also prevent risks linked to permanent overload.
A person cannot work comfortably if they are faced with significant friction on the feet or excessive stress due to poor body posture.
What are the requirements for safety shoes?
To the mentioned requirements of "protection against external dangers" and "protection against damage caused by high loads" have been added for several years an aesthetic requirement imposed on safety shoes.
They must of course protect, but they must also offer a pleasant and appropriate aesthetic appearance.
What are the European standards for safety shoes?
The basic requirements for safety footwear according to European standards fall into three categories:
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EN ISO 20345: Safety shoes or boots with protective toe caps for heavy loads, whose protective effect against impacts with an energy of 200 J has been tested.
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EN ISO 20347: Professional shoes or boots for work areas with low risk of injury, without protective toe cap.
- DGUV 112-191 (formerly BGR 191): Suitable for orthopedic modifications.
The different categories of safety shoes
safety shoes are divided into two groups depending on the materials used.
Footwear made of leather or other materials (group 1) or fully molded or vulcanized footwear (group 2).
On this basis, we obtain the distribution of safety shoes into 5 protection classes (S1-S5).
Safety shoes according to EN ISO 20345 (which succeeded EN 345) are footwear with protective toecaps for high loads, the protective effect of which has been tested with an energy of 200 J.
General requirements and test methods for footwear are governed by EN ISO 20344 (the successor to EN 344).
Different categories of safety shoes are defined there. Ask about additional requirements for footwear.
