Safety shoes and standards
The challenge of choosing a pair of safety shoes in a professional environment
The choice of a pair of safety shoes is not made at random and even less according to its color or its design... As much as in the context of a pair of city shoes these elements are very often retained by the user, as much the objective of a pair of safety shoes is to respond to a constraint of protection and therefore of standards linked to a given work environment . If once these standards are respected, the shoe can combine a design and line aspect as increasingly offered by manufacturers like Upower, this remains a plus.
Safety shoes must meet specific standards corresponding to the use.
We'll try to cover all the acronyms and standards you might encounter when buying a pair of safety shoes. The standards you'll need to consider if you work in construction , industry, a community, a restaurant, or a food industry can be radically different.
In the food industry, for example, kitchen shoes must prioritize maximum grip and maximum comfort when standing.
In the construction industry and especially outdoors, the constraints of water repellency, cold and protection will be predominant.
Current European standards
Below you will find the various European standards in place concerning PPE (Personal Protective Equipment) and more specifically those relating to safety shoes.
| Standard | Content of the Standard |
| Standard (EU) 2016/425 | Basic Directive of the European Council concerning methods of homogenization of the various national laws in force in the Member States |
| Standard EN ISO 20344:2011 | PPE Personal Protective Equipment |
| EN ISO 20345:2011 standard | PPE Personal Protective Equipment - Safety Shoes |
| EN ISO 20346:2007 standard | PPE Personal Protective Equipment – Protective Footwear |
| EN ISO 20347:2012 standard | PPE Personal Protective Equipment – Work Shoes |
| Standard EN 13287:2012 | Test methods for the determination of slip resistance |
| IEC EN 61340-5-1 standard | Protection of electronic devices from electrostatic phenomena – ESD |
Mandatory identification on safety shoes
A safety shoe must be subject to identification and certain mandatory information which are exhaustively:
The Logo of the Producer (Example: UGroup) responsible for the product
The Trade Name (Brand example Upower)
The reference standard (Example EN ISO 20345:2011)
Complementary standard (Example IEC EN 6134-5-1 for ESD protection)
The product code and its protection class (Example UA10274. S3 HRO)
Month and year of manufacture. (01/2023)
Shoe size (45)
Safety shoe standard symbols
You will find on all safety shoes on the market a reminder of these symbols below which summarize the technical characteristics of protection and use of the safety shoe.
It is essential to understand the meaning of these symbols and, above all, to choose a shoe that is suitable (neither too much nor too little) for your work constraints.
| Sy | Label | Sample test |
| HAS | Antistatic safety shoe | Electrical resistance of the compressed bottom between 1x105 OHM and 1x109 OHM |
| E | Shock absorption in the heel area of the safety shoe | Mechanical risk: reduction of heel trauma resulting from impacts or falls from limited height. mechanical energy = 20 joules |
| FO | Safety shoe with hydrocarbon-resistant sole | Single sample volume increase < 12 |
| P | Safety shoe with anti-perforation steel sole | greater than or equal to 1100 Newtons |
| HRO | Safety shoe with heat-resistant contact sole for contact | Sample in contact at 300°C. for 60'' - Does not melt |
| CI | Safety shoes with cold insulation | Decrease T = 10°C in an environment at -17°C for 30'. |
| HI | Safety shoes with heat insulation | Increase T = 22°C by resting the plate at T of 150°C for 30'. |
| WR | Water-repellent safety shoes | After 1000 steps or after 80' of automatic dynamic cycle, there should not be more than 3 cm2 of water (stain) |
| WRU | Safety shoe with water-repellent upper | Resistance to water penetration and absorption through the upper part |
| M | Safety shoe with metatarsal protection | Mechanical risk, metatarsal protection: falling objects, bumps to the feet. Height after impact = 40 mm (size 42) |
| CR | Safety shoe with cut-resistant upper | Factor l = 2.5 |
Standard EN ISO 20345:2011 Safety footwear with impact resistance of 200 Joules
| Category | Symbols |
| SB | FO |
| S1 | A + FO + E |
| S1P | A + FO + E + P |
| S2 | A + FO + E + WRU |
| S3 | A + FO + E + WRU + P |
| S4 | A+ FO + E + (water repellent) BOOTS |
| S5 | A + FO + E + P + (water repellent) BOOTS |
Standard EN ISO 20346:2011 Protective footwear with safety toe cap resistant to 100 J
| Category | Symbol |
| PB | FO |
| P1 | A+FO+E |
| P2 | A+FO+E+P |
| P3 | A+FO+E+WRU+P |
EN ISO 20347:2012 standard for work shoes without safety toecaps
| Category | Symbol |
| OB | FO (if present) |
| O1 | A + E |
| O1P | A + E + P |
| O2 | A + E + WRU |
| O3 | A + E + WRU + P |
| O4 | A + E + (water repellent) BOOTS |
| O5 | A + E + P + (water repellent) BOOTS |
All our safety shoes are marked with these standards.
It is therefore easy to choose the most suitable safety shoe.
Voussert has been helping you since 1981 to find the perfect safety shoe for your purchase, in partnership with UPower, a leading name in the world of safety shoes.
Here are some shortcuts where you can find suitable safety shoes:
Find the full range of safety shoes on this site and contact our advisor on 04 94 12 03 88