Intertek ensures safety footwear compliance with EU regulations and offers market support in the USA, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, and China, protecting workers across various industries from potential workplace hazards.

Safety footwear, also referred to as safety shoes, is critical in protecting workers from a wide range of industries including construction, manufacturing, logistics, skilled trades like welders, carpenters, electricians, contractors, and firefighters.

Intertek offers safety footwear testing and inspection as described in the European Personal Protective Equipment Regulation (EU) 2016/425. Moreover, we can support your products to market in USA, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, and China.

What is safety footwear?

Safety footwear is designed with a reinforced toe cap to prevent foot injuries at workplaces, particularly in construction and manufacturing, as well as a variety of other industries. It protects wearers against slippery surface, heavy falling or rolling objects, sharp piercing edges, hot objects, toxic chemicals, or even bad weather etc. Safety shoes are traditionally steel toed, but it can also be made of composite materials such as thermoplastics and aluminum.

Safety footwear global standards

There are numerous global standards in use which specify the mandatory performance requirements for safety footwear. The applicable standards vary by market, and in some cases by the end use of the product. Below detail the required tests for general safety shoe by market.

Regulatory compliance requirements in different markets

Market

Methods and Standards

UK/ EU

EN ISO 20344:2021

Test Method for Footwear

EN ISO 20345:2022

Safety Footwear (Learn more)

EN ISO 20346:2022

Protective Footwear

EN ISO 20347:2022

Occupational Footwear

Thermal Risks & Welding

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EN ISO 20349-1:2017

Personal protective equipment – Footwear protecting against risks in foundries and welding – Part 1: Requirements and test methods for protection against risks in foundries

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EN ISO 20349-2:2017

Personal protective equipment. Footwear protecting against risks in foundries and welding. Requirements and test methods for protection against risks in welding and allied processes

Firefighters

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EN 15090:2012

Footwear for Firefighters

Electrostatic Properties

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EN 61340-4-3:2018

Electrostatics-Part 4-3: Standard test methods for specific applications - Footwear

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EN 50321-1:2018

Live working – Footwear for electrical protection – Insulating footwear and overboots

Chemical Risks

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EN 13832-2:2018

Footwear Protecting Against Chemicals Part 2: requirements for limited contact with chemicals

Motorcycle

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EN 13634:2017

Protective Footwear for Motorcycle Riders

United States

ASTM F 2412-18a
ASTM F 2413-18

Protective (Safety) Toe Cap Footwear (Learn more)

ASTM F2892-18

Soft Toe Footwear

NFPA 1971 -2018

Structural and Proximity Fire Fighting

NFPA 1977:2022 AMD1-2016

Wildland Fire Fighting

Canada

CSA Z195-2014

Protective Footwear

Australia/ New Zealand

AS 2210

Safety, Protective, Occupational Footwear

AS/NZS 4821:2014 Amd1:2015

Footwear for Firefighters

Japan

JIS T 8101:2020

Protective Footwear

JIS T 8103:2020

Anti-electrostatic footwear

Intertek has unmatched experience testing and certifying safety footwear. Contact us to find out how we can help you market safety footwear in global markets.

Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) Brochure

 

From raw materials sourcing, to production, to retail, Intertek's end-to-end Total Quality Assurance solutions safeguard the quality and safety of a wide array of PPE and their supply chains with unmatched strengths. From raw materials sourcing, to production, to retail, Intertek's end-to-end Total Quality Assurance solutions safeguard the quality and safety of a wide array of PPE and their supply chains with unmatched strengths.