Safety footwear symbols

Charnwood

At Charnwood, we manufacture and distribute robust, durable footwear and workwear, designed to be comfortable all day long. We have a wide range of footwear on offer, with varying styles and designs, all suitable for a number of different industries and working environments.

 

The different safety features on our footwear are represented by a number of symbols, which you can find in the product description section of each pair of shoes:

 

Dickies andover black leather shoe product page

 

In this article, we will be running through the symbols and explaining a little more about what they mean, so you can make the right selection when purchasing your next pair of safety footwear.

 

Our range here at Charnwood is designed in line with The Safety Footwear Standards, set by the ISO. Standing for International Organisation for Standardisation, the ISO publishes set standards for a huge number of industries, including medical devices, energy, security, and of course of most importance to us at Charnwood, safety footwear.

 

The "EN" before ISO simply refers to the European Union. When an international standard is recognised at a regional level, a prefix can be added, hence EN ISO.

 

There are various reference numbers to differentiate between standards:

 

EN ISO 20345: 2004 - refers to all safety footwear designed before 2004 that is still being manufactured today.

 

EN ISO 20345: 2007 - refers to all safety footwear designed, manufactured, and retested after 2007.

 

Both of these set out minimum requirements that safety footwear must be successfully tested against.

 

EN ISO standards specify that all safety footwear must have toe protection as standard. In addition to this, further protective features for safety footwear are represented by a combination of letters.

 

S1 safety rating   S2 safety rating   S3 safety rating   S4 safety rating   S5 safety rating   S1P safety rating   SB safety rating   SBP safety rating

 

S1: Safety Basic, Antistatic, and Energy Absorbing Heel.

S2: Safety Basic, Antistatic, Energy Absorbing Heel, and Water Resistant Upper.

S3: Safety Basic, Antistatic, Energy Absorbing Heel, Water Resistant Upper, and Steel/Composite Midsole.

S4: Safety Basic and 100% Waterproof Upper.

S5: Safety Basic, 100% Waterproof Upper and Steel/Composite Midsole.

S1P: Safety Basic, Antistatic, Energy Absorbing Heel, and Steel/Composite Midsole.

SB: Safety Basic to EN345 200 Joule Toe Protection.

SBP: Safety Basic and Steel/Composite Midsole.

P1: Protective Basic and Antistatic.

PB: Protective Basic to EN346 100 Joule Toe Protection.

 

Electrostatic discharge rated   Antistatic   Oil, Acid & Alkali sole resistance   Shock absorbing heel   Waterproof Upper   Water resistant upper

 

Slip Resistance Ratings

Footwear has to pass the EN test for slip resistance in order to be marked with one of the following codes:

 

SRA rated slip resistant sole   SRB rated slip resistant sole   SRC rated slip resistant sole

 

SRA: tested on ceramic tile surface with diluted soap solution.

SRB: tested on smooth steel with glycerol.

SRC: tested on both of the above.

 

Additional Symbols and Their Meanings

P: penetration resistance

C: conductive

A: antistatic

I: electrically insulating

HI: insulating against heat

CI: insulating against cold

E: energy absorbing seat region

WR: whole footwear resistant to water penetration and absorption

M: metatarsal protection

AN: ankle protection

WRU: water resistant upper only

CR: cut resistant upper

HRO: outsole resistant to hot contact

 

80C Heat resistant Outsole   200C Heat resistant Outsole   300C Heat resistant Outsole

Steel toe cap symbol   Steel midsole symbol   Composite toe cap symbol   Composite midsole

 

Please note that the above is for guidance only. Regulations and standards are constantly updated and reviewed. We always advise that customers seek independent advice and where possible, conduct a risk assessment to determine the type of safety footwear they need.

 

All our safety shoes and boots are displayed with symbols to make it easier for you to select your next pair.

 

If you have any questions, queries, or just want some help choosing your safety footwear, please do not hesitate to contact a member of our friendly customer service team. Email: enquiries@charnwoodfootwear.co.uk or call: 01162160216.

Safety footwear symbols

Charnwood

At Charnwood, we manufacture and distribute robust, durable footwear and workwear, designed to be comfortable all day long. We have a wide range of footwear on offer, with varying styles and designs, all suitable for a number of different industries and working environments.

The different safety features on our footwear are represented by a number of symbols, which you can find in the product description section of each pair of shoes:

charnwood-safety-symbols

In this article, we will be running through the symbols and explaining a little more about what they mean, so you can make the right selection when purchasing your next pair of safety footwear.

Our range here at Charnwood is designed in line with The Safety Footwear Standards, set by the ISO. Standing for International Organisation for Standardisation, the ISO publishes set standards for a huge number of industries, including medical devices, energy, security, and of course of most importance to us at Charnwood, safety footwear.

The "EN" before ISO simply refers to the European Union. When an international standard is recognised at a regional level, a prefix can be added, hence EN ISO.

There are various reference numbers to differentiate between standards:

EN ISO 20345: 2004 - refers to all safety footwear designed before 2004 that is still being manufactured today.

EN ISO 20345: 2007 - refers to all safety footwear designed, manufactured, and retested after 2007.

Both of these set out minimum requirements that safety footwear must be successfully tested against.

EN ISO standards specify that all safety footwear must have toe protection as standard. In addition to this, further protective features for safety footwear are represented by a combination of letters.

safety1 safety2 safety3 safety4 safety5 safety1p safetysb safetysbp
  • S1: Safety Basic, Antistatic, and Energy Absorbing Heel.
  • S2: Safety Basic, Antistatic, Energy Absorbing Heel, and Water Resistant Upper.
  • S3: Safety Basic, Antistatic, Energy Absorbing Heel, Water Resistant Upper, and Steel/Composite Midsole.
  • S4: Safety Basic and 100% Waterproof Upper.
  • S5: Safety Basic, 100% Waterproof Upper and Steel/Composite Midsole.
  • S1P : Safety Basic, Antistatic, Energy Absorbing Heel, and Steel/Composite Midsole.
  • SB : Safety Basic to EN345 200 Joule Toe Protection.
  • SBP : Safety Basic and Steel/Composite Midsole.
  • P1 : Protective Basic and Antistatic.
  • PB : Protective Basic to EN346 100 Joule Toe Protection.
esd antistatic oil shockheel waterproof water-resistant

Slip Resistance Ratings

Footwear has to pass the EN test for slip resistance in order to be marked with one of the following codes:

sra-slip-resistant-sole srb-slip-resistant-sole src-slip-resistant-sole
  • SRA: tested on ceramic tile surface with diluted soap solution.
  • SRB: tested on smooth steel with glycerol.
  • SRC: tested on both of the above.

Additional Symbols and Their Meanings

  • P: penetration resistance
  • C: conductive
  • A: antistatic
  • I: electrically insulating
  • HI: insulating against heat
  • CI: insulating against cold
  • E: energy absorbing seat region
  • WR: whole footwear resistant to water penetration and absorption
  • M: metatarsal protection
  • AN: ankle protection
  • WRU: water resistant upper only
  • CRU: cut resistant upper
  • HRO: outsole resistant to hot contact
heat-resist-80 heat-resist-200 heat-resist-300
steel-toe-cap steel-midsole composite-toe-cap composite-midsole

Please note that the above is for guidance only. Regulations and standards are constantly updated and reviewed. We always advise that customers seek independent advice and where possible, conduct a risk assessment to determine the type of safety footwear they need.

All our safety shoes and boots are displayed with symbols to make it easier for you to select your next pair.

If you have any questions, queries, or just want some help choosing your safety footwear, please do not hesitate to contact a member of our friendly customer service team. Email: enquiries@charnwoodfootwear.co.uk or call: 01162160216.

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