To work in a safe and responsible way, employees should wear safety shoes. But don’t just pick one: for optimal protection of the foot, you should choose the footwear that suits your environment.
All safety shoes and boots are required to have an “S standard” (“safety”). Only then can you be sure that the safety shoe has a strenghtened toe.
However, 5 further categories can be distinguished in safety shoes. Aside from the general requirements, some shoes have to be suited for specific work environment:
S1: Antistatic properties, energy absorbed in the heels.
S2: Same as S1 + resistance to water penetration and absorption.
S3: Same as S2 + penetration resistance (midsole) and cleated sole.
S4: Same as S1 but made of rubber (or other polymeric types) and therefore 100% waterproof.
S5: Same as S4 + penetration resistance (midsole) and cleated sole.