When you’re buying safety footwear, there are several things you need to think about. Although style and colour are important (we do still want to look good at work!), these factors take the backseat to safety standards and ratings. You may have seen those abbreviations before when researching safety shoes. Confusing, right? Here’s a decoded guide to safety footwear codes and what you need to look out for.

What Does EN ISO 20345 Mean?

It’s a standard that applies across Europe. Set by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO), it outlines the minimum and optional requirements for safety footwear. This includes slip resistance and features to protect against thermal and mechanical hazards.

Currently, there are two supplementary standards within it: EN ISO 20345:2011 and EN ISO 20345:2012. They cover different levels of protection classes, which we’ll explain below.

The Basic Safety Codes and What They Mean

The two EN ISO standards cover different protection classes. You may have seen terms like “S2 Certified” or “OB Certified”. This merely refers to the extent of a hazard to which the shoe protects against.

So, let’s decode.

EN ISO 20345:2011

SB (Safety Basic): As the name suggests, this is the basic safety standard for footwear. SB rated shoes offer non-slip soles and steel toe caps to protect against 200-joule impact.

S1: As well as basic toe protection and slip-resistant soles, S1 means the shoe also has anti-static protection, is oil resistant and offers energy absorption in the heel. Other safety features may be added.

S2: All of the features as S1, plus waterproof exterior so prevents water penetration and offers absorption in the upper shoe.

S3: All of the features as S2, plus midsole penetration resistance - meaning that these shoes are puncture proof. For example, a steel midsole prevents sharp objects from piercing through the sole.

S4: All of the features as S1, but is made from a rubber upper or entirely moulded polymer, such as a Wellington boot. This means they’re waterproof and leak-proof.

S5: All of the features as S4, plus midsole penetration resistance to prevent sharp objects from piercing through the sole.