If you’re working on certain construction sites or industrial sites, you’ll have to wear safety trainers for your protection. Safety trainers offer better flexibility than traditional safety shoes with the added advantage of being lightweight, breathable, and comfortable. Chances are you might have heard about S1, S2 and S3 safety shoes being the most important part of ensuring safety.
But it is likely that you don’t know which level of protection your safety shoes should be and which shoes you should choose. If you don’t know the difference between S1 and S2 safety trainers, read on.
Difference Between S1 and S2 Safety Trainers
The major difference between an S1 and S2 safety shoe is the degree of protection they offer to the wearer. The EN ISO 20345 is a European standard for safety shoes that define the minimum requirements for the personal protective equipment (PPE) used in workplaces where there is a risk of foot injuries. The standard encompasses general-purpose and specialist footwear, non-slip rubber soles, insoles, and other components.
S1 Safety Footwear
The S1 certified safety shoes come with reinforced safety measures such as a toe made of steel or composite, a closed heel, an antistatic sole, and an energy absorbent heel to ensure comfort. They have certain common features or basic properties as:
- They have a closed seat region
- They come with antistatic properties with the “A” marking
- They come with energy absorption of the seat region with the “E” marking
- They are fuel oil resistant
There is another version of S1 safety footwear with some enhanced properties such as
- An “S’ on the label
- Fully enclosed heel
- Anti-static properties
- Energy absorption in the heel area
- Better resistance to water penetration and greater water absorption (WRU symbol)
- Penetration resistance and the “P” symbol
S2 Safety Footwear
S2 Safety shoes come with an S2 certification. They have the same specifications as S1 safety boots, but they are also water-resistant. Safety footwear with S2P certification also offers perforation resistance. The basic properties of this footwear include:
- Closed seat region
- Antistatic properties with the “A” mark
- Energy absorption of seat region with the “E” mark
- Resistance to fuel oil
- Water penetration and absorption features
What safety does an S1 Safety trainer offer?
S1 safety trainers are the most common and popular type of safety footwear. They provide a great level of protection against electrical hazards, falling objects and so on. If you need protection against oil and slip resistance, you can opt for S1P safety trainers. And if you work in wet conditions, you can opt for S2 safety trainers as they are water-resistant and offer better water penetration abilities.
S1 Safety boots are usually made of strong leather or synthetic materials and come with a steel toe cap. The sole is made of composite material to prevent easy wear and tear. It is specially designed to ensure that you are comfortable even after wearing the trainer on a long day at work.
What Safety Does a S2 Safety Trainer Offer?
S2 safety trainers offer better protection than their S1 counterparts. They offer protection from low-energy shock hazards. They are specifically designed to protect you from foot injuries such as lacerations and abrasions. What’s more, these shoes protect not only your feet but also your ankle and lower leg. They are effective against lacerations due to falling objects and abrasion by sharp edges. However, the S2 safety trainers do not cover electrical hazards such as electric shock or electrocution. But you can reinforce them by adding insulated soles.
As you can see from above, the biggest difference between S1, S1P, and S2 safety trainers is the resistance to water. If you are looking for safety footwear at affordable prices, shop at RS Components.