| 11 April 2025

How do I know if safety boots are compliant in the UK?

Some useful tips to identify if your safety boots are safety compliant.

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It’s the easiest thing in the world as a footwear manufacturer to slap the word ‘safety’ on your style of shoe with little to zero due diligence having been exercised, nor any appropriate or industry-mandated testing being conducted.

It’s even easier for someone to then click on a mouse or tap on a touch screen to order a pair of said non-safety compliant safety boots.

Year after year the very same issues always arise - non-compliant or unfit for purpose PPE floods the market, with unsuspecting - or indeed, unconcerned - customers sometimes paying the ultimate price when their safety boots fail them in the workplace and cause an injury.

Last year, the British Safety Industry Federation (BSIF) product testing results from non-member suppliers resulted in an 86% failure rate from 31 products. 

Many of those safety boots - which were showcased on the likes of TikTok - failed such fundamental tests as toecap compression, impact resistance, midsole penetration, slip resistance and electrical hazard protection. 

And due largely to the huge influx of online products and the lack of market enforcement and surveillance, it is becoming increasingly difficult for UK authorities to track down non-compliant products.

Fortunately, it really isn’t too difficult to ascertain if the safety boots you’re about to purchase are compliant with current UK safety regulations. And you don’t need to spend hours poring over industry websites and product pages, either. 

Below are just a few simple steps you can follow to ensure what you’re buying is above board from a safety perspective. 

Just a useful aside: the safety footwear standards in the UK are the same as the footwear standards across Europe: EN ISO 20345:2011 or 20345:2022.


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Appropriate accreditation

Your first port of call should be looking to source from a trusted supplier. Does the potential provider you’ve found in your online searches have the appropriate accreditations?

The aforementioned BSIF is the UK's leading trade body within the safety industry – the benchmark when it comes to a legitimate endorsement of any safety equipment. 

Having that BSIF shield on display within the company website – and it goes without saying that this can be seen clearly on the Blackrock safety standards page - is the peace of mind to ensure you are purchasing appropriately.

And the BSIF are no slouch when it comes to ensuring products remain compliant, with their Registered Safety Supplier scheme (RSSS) requiring members to undergo regular audits, at least annually, to ensure compliance with PPE regulations and to maintain their status as a Registered Safety Supplier.

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Traceability

Crucial for a business in adhering to corporate transparency and responsibility is the means of ensuring any products are imbued with traceability and accountability. Can the company in question be held accountable if there is an issue with a specific product?

The means of identifying traceability in safety footwear is by looking on the tongue. There, a label should be evident displaying the likes of a PO number, size, any product features and - most importantly - a corresponding company address. 

Also included are the CE and (optionally) UKCA symbols which indicate conformity with the applicable requirements for products sold within the UK and EU.

This offers the wearer the satisfaction of knowing that if something was to go wrong with the product, they know exactly where to turn to.

All suppliers should be able to provide supporting documents on their website and on request, which should indicate that a government-accredited third party has certified the product to be safe. 

Sadly, it is not unheard of for these to be forged by unscrupulous manufacturers. If you don’t see a certifying body, it’s a red flag and if you do, you can contact them to check if the documentation you’ve been given is legitimate.

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Use your own judgment 

Another obvious tell-tale sign of non-safety compliant footwear could be the price point. If you’re procuring boots for yourself or a team, a tenner for a safety boot – even minus all the aesthetic whistle and bells – should immediately raise suspicions. 

The various components required to ensure your safety footwear will pass muster - as well as how the shoe has been constructed - should be called into question when you spy a seemingly fantastic bargain. Like many things in life, if it looks too good to be true, it usually is. Don’t short-change your safety.

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