One of the most frequently asked questions regarding occupational footwear: what is the difference between O1, O1P, O2, O3 occupational footwear?
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What kind of characteristics should this footwear include?
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What kind of outsole?
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What kind of leather?
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What marking?
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What additional properties might it have?
In this article I’ll explain to you technically what to do if you need O1, O1P, O2, O3 occupational footwear.
After reading this article I bet you’ll be surprised at how easy it is to find the perfect product for yourself!
There’s a huge variety of products on the market and you need to choose, let me explain to you, technically, what exists on the market, what technical specifications you have to look at to find the perfect O1, O1P, O2, O3 occupational footwear for your needs.
In general, some average situations where you could do a distinction between O1, O1P, O2, O3 occupational footwear:
- You work indoor, no risk of water sprays, no need of protection for your toes, but you need a good breathability? Then you need O1 occupational footwear
- You work indoor, no risk of water sprays, no need of protection for your toes, but you need protection against perforation and a good breathability? Then you need O1P occupational footwear
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You work outdoor, no need of protection for your toes but you need protection against water sprays? Then you need O2 occupational footwear
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You work outdoor, no need of protection for your toes, but you need protection against perforation and against water sprays? Then you need O3 occupational footwear
- What other features should I consider for my O1, O1P, O2, O3 occupational footwear?
As you can see, the biggest difference between O1, O1P, O2, O3 occupational footwear consists in the resistance to water sprays and the puncture resistant plate. The O1P and O3 are basically O1 and O2 occupational footwear, with an additional puncture resistant plate.
When choosing your occupational footwear, first of all you need to know some description coming from the norms. O1, O1P, O2, O3 occupational footwear follow the UNI EN ISO 20347 standard:
UNI EN ISO 20347 = Personal Protective Equipment – Specifications for Occupational footwear. This footwear is not equipped with toecap for toes protection.
Many workers do not use 20345 safety shoes or 20347 work shoes. The typical phrase is “I don’t need toe protection at work”. Indeed many jobs do not involve this risk but there are many other risks that a worker can run and for this there are shoes that do not have a protective toe but still have many other protections or excellent characteristics for the worker. A 20347 work shoe has defined electrical characteristics, for example the antistatic sole, has the certified slip resistance, has certain parameters of abrasion resistance of the materials, has undergone tear tests, has a certified resistance to liquids, has the materials tested against contaminants .. and all these protections are available and certified in a shoe 20347 that does not have a safety toe, but which still guarantees greater protection for the worker against normal casual or sports shoes.
The properties of O1, O1P, O2, O3 occupational footwear are:
All of them are class I footwear.
O1 occupational footwear has the basic properties of OB footwear plus:
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Closed seat region
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Antistatic properties (including the “A” marking)
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Energy absorption of seat region (including the “E” marking)
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Resistance to fuel oil
Best “O1” picks by SafetyShoesToday
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O1P occupational footwear is an O1 footwear plus:
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Penetration resistance (including the “P” marking)
O2 occupational footwear has the basic properties of OB footwear plus:
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Closed seat region
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Antistatic properties (including the “A” marking)
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Energy absorption of seat region (including the “E” marking)
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Resistance to fuel oil
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Water penetration and absorption
Best “O2” picks by SafetyShoesToday
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O3 occupational footwear is an O2 footwear plus:
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Penetration resistance (including the “P” marking)
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Cleated outsole
The O1, O1P, O2, O3 occupational footwear can also have some other markings
if it has additional features, basically needed in special work applications:
- AN = Ankle protection (≤ 10 kN). The mean value of the test result shall not exceed 10KN and no single value shall exceed 15KN
- CI = Cold insulation of the outsole (test at -17ºC). When tested, the temperature decrease on the upper surface of the insole shall not be more than 10ºC
- ESD = ElectroStatic Discharge (between 100 KΩ and 35 MΩ). ESD shoes (electrostatic discharge) do not primarily protect the person but rather protect the ElectroStatic Discharge Sensitive devices (ESDS) in sensitive working areas (called EPA = Electrostatic Protected Areas).
- HI = Heat insulation of the outsole (test at 150ºC). When tested, the temperature increase on the upper surface of the insole after 30 min. shall not be greater than 22ºC. After the test the outsole must not present damages that could affect the regular usage of the footwear and its performances. The insulation must not be removable from the shoe.
- HRO = Resistance to hot contact of the outsole (test at 300ºC). When tested rubber and polymeric outsoles should not melt or crack when bent
- WR = Water resistance (for O2 and O3). The total wetted area inside the footwear shall be ≤ 3cm² when tested.
Now let’s look at some construction features for your O1, O1P, O2, O3 occupational footwear.
What type of outsole do you need? What type of leather? And what about slip resistance?
The most common types of outsoles used for occupational footwear are:
- PU MONO (SINGLE) DENSITY: It is a material with a very low weight and a good comfort. It has a good resistance to the chemical agents and oils, but no resistance to the strong acids. The resistance to temperatures goes from -10/-20 to +130 max 140 degrees . The softness gives a good grip to this material giving it a slip resistance similar to TPU and rubber. RECOMMENDED USAGE: indoor and not very aggressive work places.
- PU/PU: it is a double-density profile sole made of PU. It has a good resistance to the chemical agents and oils, but no resistance to the strong acids. The resistance to temperatures goes from -10/20 to 120 max 150 degrees. The soft PU midsole provides good impact absorption and wearing comfort. RECOMMENDED USAGE: indoor and outdoor, not really suggested for contacts with chemical agents.
- PU/TPU: It is particularly sturdy, abrasion-resistant and flexible. TPU therefore provides higher performances: abrasion resistance, slip resistance at a very good level like single density PU and rubber, flexibility. In the average it is more durable than PU and it has an higher resistance to the cold from -5 up to -20 degrees. Not very resistant to high temperatures: maximum 100 degrees. RECOMMENDED USAGE: indoor and outdoor, cold weather, not really suggested for contacts with hot surfaces.
- MONO DENSITY RUBBER: exceptionally sturdy: temperature-resistant from -30 up to 300°C, hard to penetrate for sharp objects and resistant to fuels, oils, microbes and numerous chemicals. However, rubber is heavier than PU and TPU, and is less flexible when submitted to cold temperatures. The rubber outsoles are also known for the great slip resistance as single density PU and TPU. RECOMMENDED USAGE: indoor and outdoor, in contact with oils, chemicals, acids. If HRO certified, it is also recommended for contacts with hot surfaces. It is a compact and heavy material so it is not the best choice if you need extremely light footwear.
- PU/RUBBER: (generally an injection molded outsole). Keeping the properties of rubber for the outsole, in this type of footwear the midsole is made of PU so the footwear is lighter. The PU in this case is the weak point in the toughest situations where the rubber performs the best. RECOMMENDED USAGE: indoor and outdoor, in contact with oils, chemicals, acids. If HRO certified, it is also recommended for the contact with hot floors. It is a compact and heavy material, so to make it lighter it is joined with PU.
- EVA/RUBBER: RECOMMENDED USAGE: indoor and outdoor, for the contact with oils, chemicals, acids. If HRO certified, it is also recommended for the contact with hot floors. It is a compact and heavy material, so to make it lighter it is joined with PU.
The most common types of leather used for occupational footwear are:
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FULL GRAIN LEATHER: In the average it’s the most breathable, flexible and durable. It has a very nice feeling to the touch, and the most natural appearance.
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SPLIT PRINTED LEATHER: In the average it is less breathable, but is tough and economic. The flaws are covered with a PU coating and then printed for a better look.
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NUBUCK LEATHER: Often it comes from grain leather, with a different sanded finish, it is breathable, tough and oil resistant. It looks wicker than full grain leather but in most cases it performs just about the same.
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SUEDE LEATHER: It is often used for non water resistant safety footwear, but there are also waterproof products in suede leather. It is very breathable and quite sturdy. It can be either economic or expensive, depending if it comes from grain or split leather.
- SYNTETIC LEATHER: MICROFIBER: It is a very light and flexible material. It has very good resistance against soft chemicals and organic acids, in most cases it is washable at an average of 40 degrees. Being it synthetic it is recommendable in sanitary and food industry. Breathability depends from the quality of the product. It is used very often in sanitary, food, and sport safety footwear.
SLIP RESISTANCE:
This is one of the most important features to look for when you are choosing your O1, O1P, O2, O3 occupational footwear. Occupational shoes are subjected to a slip resistance test in accordance with DIN EN 13287. At a given pressure, the shoe is pulled across two different surfaces, each of which is covered with a different lubricant. The resulting friction is measured.
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SRA = Ceramic tile floor + Sodium lauryl sulfate NaLS (forward heel slip friction coefficient ≥ 0.28 /forward flat slip friction coefficient ≥ 0.32)
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SRB = Steel floor + Glycerine (forward heel slip friction coefficient ≥ 0.13 /forward flat slip friction coefficient ≥ 0.18)
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SRC = safety footwear is SRC when it passes both tests SRA + SRB
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Best “20347” picks by SafetyShoesToday
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These are the recommendations that I suggest to you when you’re looking for the best O1, O1P, O2, O3 occupational footwear for your needs.
When you’ll have selected your O1, O1P, O2, O3 occupational footwear you’ll be more protected at work.
I guarantee that if you use the right O1, O1P, O2, O3 occupational footwear you’ll live a better working experience.
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