When you're working in an industry that involves you walking in hazardous situations, you need to make sure your footwear is providing you with the right level of protection. UK safety footwear standards are designed to give you peace of mind when you're buying safety boots and shoes so you can be sure they provide you with the type of protection you need.
This blog post looks at what the safety footwear standards are for boots sold in the UK, exactly what each code means and how you can be sure of work boot compliance for the pair you're buying.
Safety Boots Rating Codes Explained
Safety boot rating codes provide consumers with an easy-to-follow guide as to the level of protection a particular type of footwear has. This makes it easy for buyers to see whether the shoes or boots they're looking at will give them the level of protection they need for their work. So, for example, whether it has toe protection, provides slip-resistance, are steel mid-sole safety boots or has ankle protection.
The rating codes used in the UK were developed by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) and the European Committee for Standardization (EN) and represent peace of mind for anyone purchasing safety boots across Europe.
So, if you need to buy the highest standard of safety boots when you're working in Spain, you'll know that boots with the rating S5 will provide you with the same level of protection as you'd get from a pair with that rating in the UK.
What are the safety requirements for safety shoes in the UK?
If you're looking for steel toe-cap safety boots that will protect your feet against things like bumps, crushing, falling objects, walking on sharp items, or extreme temperatures, the standard requirement is EN ISO 20345. This is a basic requirement that includes things like:
- heel area
- upper height
- toe cap length, bump-impact and pressure resistance
- water permeability
- outsole abrasion resistance and thickness
These are the minimum requirements and is allocated the code SB (Safety Basic). After that, each code indicates a higher level of protection and additional features. So, for example S1 has the features of SB boots with 200-joule toe protection, plus it provides resistance to fuel oil and energy absorption in the heel area.
The ratings go from SB through to S5 which is the highest level of protection. Abbreviations are used to show additional features such as "A" which represents antistatic properties or "WR" for water resistance.
Read on to see safety boot ratings explained in full:
| Rating | Definition |
| SB (Safety Basic) | This is the most basic safety boot and have toe protection against 200-joule impact. Most boots have additional features added to them, and this will be shown in the additional codes: |
| S1 | SB+ resistant to fuel oil outside and it is also energy absorption in the heel area. |
| S2 | SB+S1+ water-resistant upper. |
| S3 | SB+S1&2+ penetration resistance. This can be either a stainless steel or aluminium insert in the sole or Kevlar sole. |
| S4 | SB+S1,2,3+ fully waterproof. |
| S5 | This is the best type of basic rating you can get. SB+1,2,3,4+ any other feature will be added to this rating. |
Rating features
A – Antistatic footwear
C – Cut resistance of upper
CI – Cold insulation of sole complex
E – Energy absorption of the heel region
FO – Resistance to fuel oil from outside
HI- Heat insulation of sole complex
HRO – Resistance to hot contact of the outsole
M – Metatarsal protection
P – Penetration resistance
WR – Water resistance
WRU – Water resistance upper