Occupational Safety: What Changes with Amendment A1:2024 to EN ISO 20345:2022
The world of foot protection is evolving. Amendment A1:2024 to the EN ISO 20345:2022 standard—the European benchmark for safety footwear—was recently introduced. This update does not overhaul the standard but introduces fundamental technical corrections for certification and footwear quality.
Key points every industry professional should know:
1. New Evaluation Criteria in Testing The amendment makes laboratory tests more precise and, in some cases, less punitive for purely aesthetic defects:
Impact and Compression: During post-test visual inspection, the result will be considered FAIL only if there are interruptions in light passage.
- Sole Flexing: During flexing tests, the breakage of a metallic anti-perforation plate will no longer be considered a "failure," focusing instead on the overall integrity of the footwear.
- Sole Adhesion: For multilayer soles, adhesion must now be meticulously checked across all layers, especially in the flexing zone (the most critical point during walking).
2. Comfort and Breathability Several changes concern internal materials and moisture management: Water Vapor:
- The maximum area allowed to be "non-permeable" to vapor increases from 25% to 50%, offering greater flexibility in technical shoe design.
- Anti-perforation Insert: If the anti-perforation insert (or insole) is coated with a membrane, it is no longer necessary to subject it to water absorption/desorption and abrasion resistance tests, simplifying the certification process for specific models.
3. Advanced Protection: Perforation and Scuff Cap The bar is raised for mechanical protection:
- PS Perforation: For non-metallic inserts (3mm nails), the "tent effect" is now evaluated. This involves observing how much the insert deforms under pressure before being penetrated.
- Anti-perforation inserts that also serve as insoles cannot have holes and must follow new positioning specifications.
- Scuff Cap: A practical addition. A check has been introduced to verify that the toe reinforcement effectively prevents contact between the upper and the floor when the operator is kneeling.
Why is it important? These updates ensure that safety footwear is not just "safe on paper" but capable of responding to real-world stresses in the construction site or workshop. For companies, it means relying on products certified with even more rigorous and transparent criteria.
