While buying safety trainers, what do you look for? Is it style, colour or comfort? While there are many factors to consider when buying safety trainers, safety standards and ratings should always take precedence and never be overlooked.
To be able to determine the level of safety rating a pair of safety trainers will provide, it comes with a number of different codes and abbreviations. However, the safety trainer coding can get a bit confusing sometimes.
You need not fret because we are here to decode the safety trainer codes for you. Let us take a look into the different safety trainer codes.
Safety trainer ratings
- SB: This is the most basic safety standard for trainers and comes with toe protection against a 200-joule impact.
- S1: Other than basic toe protection, S1 not only guarantees anti-static protection but is also resistant to fuel oil and has energy absorption in the heel. Work indoors without the risk of water sprays, and need protection for your toes and good breathability? Then S1 is for you.
- S2: On top of the same protection as S1, S2 prevents any water penetration and absorption of the uppers.
- S3: In addition to the same protection as the S2 level, S3 has midsole penetration resistance which means you will get protection against perforation and water sprays.
- S4: Besides the same level of protection offered by S1, S4 comes with a moulded polymer/rubber upper making them fully waterproof.
- S5: Along with the same features as S4 footwear. S5 has the additional benefit of midsole penetration resistance
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Other abbreviations you need to look out for
You may have seen the above-mentioned safety trainer ratings, however, there are other abbreviations you need to look out for that usually come as a hyphenated additional letter. For instance, if you find a safety rating like SB-A, it means the safety trainer is of basic safety standard with the antistatic property. If you need protection against perforation and good breathability, then SB-P is the one you need.
Below are listed a few of these abbreviations that can be hyphenated with the safety rating,
- P: Resistant to penetration
- C: Conductive
- A: Antistatic
- I: Insulation against electricity
- WR: Water resistance
- M: Metatarsal protection
- AN: Ankle protection
- CR: Cut resistant upper
- WRU: Water penetration and water absorption on the upper part
- HRO: Outsole is resistant to hot contact
Slip Resistance:
Many businesses can drastically reduce the chance of such incidents occurring by implementing stringent housekeeping measures and installing floor tapes to prevent slips and falls. However, in addition to proper safety measures, safety footwear should have additional protection against trips, falls, and slips. Footwear with an anti-slip rating will be added to the safety boot rating. For example, safety coding S3 SRC means that the test for slip resistance has been done.
- SRA: This means that the safety trainer has been tested on ceramic tile wetted with a dilute soap solution.
- SRB: The trainer is tested on smooth steel with glycerol.
- SRC: The safety trainer is tested under both the above-mentioned conditions.
Make sure that you have a snug fit and feel comfortable in your safety trainers, as you are likely to wear them for the whole day at your workplace. RS Components have a wide variety of high-quality safety boots from some of the leading manufacturers in footwear. To learn more about our safety trainers, visit our website.