Quality Certifications
In this page you will find further information about que quality certifications that are applied to Textiles and Footwear in the worplace context.
Quality Certifications for Textiles
The quality certifications that are applied to textiles for a professional use are:
EN ISO 20471 - High visibility clothing, textiles, and materials.
Specifies requirements for high visibility clothing which is capable of visually signaling the user's presence. The high visibility clothing is intended to provide conspicuity of the wearer in any light condition when viewed by operators of vehicles or other mechanized equipment during daylight conditions and under illumination of headlights in the dark.
Performance requirements are included for colour and retroreflection as well as for the minimum areas and for the placement of the materials in protective clothing.
EN ISO 343 - Protective clothing for rain
This European standard specifies the minimum requirements and test methods applicable to protective clothing for the effects of precipitation.
EN ISO 14058 - Garments for protection against cold environments
This standard specifies the requirements and test methods for the features of garments for protection of the body against cold environments with temperatures above -5 ºC.
EN ISO 13688 - Minimum requirements for protective clothing
Specifies general performance requirements for ergonomics, safety, size designation, ageing, compatibility and protective clothing markings, as well as information to be supplied by the manufacturer with protective clothing.
The EN ISO 13688 standard must only be used when combined with other standards that have specific protection requirements and not autonomously.
Safety Footwear Standards
There are two main standards:
EN ISO 20345, that refers to the requirements for safety footwear.
EN ISO 20347, that refers to the requirements for occupational footwear, for activities that don't expose the user to any mechanical risks, like impacts or compressions.
These standards specify additional basic requirements for safety footwear. You can see if the footwear is complying with these standards by looking at its datasheet or product description.
SAFETY FOOTWEAR CODES
EN ISO 20345
This standard divides the footwear into 2 types. The first one includes all the safety footwear, but the ones made with rubber uppers or polymer uppers. The second type includes only footwear made completely with rubber or polymers.
The first type of footwear has four codes: SB, S1, S2, and S3. The second type has two codes besides the SB. Those are the S4 and the S5.
SB - SB stands for Safety Basic, so it's the lowest safety level of this standard. SB rated footwear are slip-resistant and has a safety toe cap that protects your feet at 200J impacts.
This code also applies to the second type of footwear.
S1 – S1 footwear has all the SB features, has a closed heel area, as well as an energy absorption heel, and is antistatic, and oil-resistant.
S2 - Has all the S1 features and prevents water penetration.
S3 - Has all the S2 features and also has a midsole penetration resistance (puncture proof), that prevents sharp objects from piercing through the sole and hurting you.
S4 - Has all the S1 features, but applied to footwear made with rubber uppers or polymer uppers.
S5 - Has all the S4 features and a midsole penetration resistance.
EN ISO 20347
These codes are divided into the same two types of footwear.
The first type subdivides into 4 codes: OB, O1, O2, and O3. And the second type into OB as well, O4 and O5.
OB - OB footwear meets the basic requirements, which is to only have a slip-resistant sole.
O1 - It's slip-resistant, has a closed heel area, as well as an energy absorption heel, and is antistatic.
O2 - Has all the O1 features, and prevents water penetration.
O3 - Has all the O2 features and also has a midsole penetration resistance.
O4 - Has all the O1 features, but applied to footwear made with rubber uppers or polymer uppers.
O5 - Has all the O4 features and a midsole penetration resistance.
SLIP-RESISTANT SOLE CODES
The slip-resistance is a very important feature for your daily work. A small fall can cause serious injuries. To prevent it, safety footwear is tested and then classified into three slip-resistance categories.
- SRA footwear passed the test on ceramic tile wetted with a soap solution.
- SRB footwear passed the test on steel with glycerol.
- SRC footwear passed both SRA and SRB tests, so it's the highest slip-resistant level.
ADDITIONAL CODES
A - Antistatic footwear
E - Energy absorption heel
P - Midsole penetration protection
C - Conductive footwear
WRU - Water-resistant upper
WR - Water-resistant footwear
CI - Cold Insulation Resistance
HI - Heat Insulation Resistance
HRO - Heat resistant
FO - Sole's resistance to Fuel Oil
M - Metatarsal protection (only for EN ISO 20345)
AN - Ankle protection
CR - Upper's cut resistance
