Non-slip soles

Main causes of accidents in the workplace, slips and falls can cause serious injuries. Those working in the oil and hydrocarbon sector, installers, plumbers or construction workers must therefore pay particular attention to the slip resistance of their work-shoes. Choosing shoes with the best non-slip quality is therefore a necessity.

Non-slip shoes: a fundamental element

According to the EN ISO 20345 standard, every professional shoe must have at least one type of non-slip sole. In fact, it is even possible today to find removable outsoles that attach around the shoes to provide non-slip protection. It is above all a solution suitable for visitors who are not equipped with safety shoes.

In order to meet the requirements of ISO standards, please be aware that all safety-shoes, from protection or work pass through a specific test that we will detail later. The objective is to define their degree of adhesion which will allow them to obtain a classification. Thus, to find out if your womens safety shoes or men really have of non-slip soles and to know their non-slip quality, you will have to make sure you find the mention SRA, SRB or SRC. If you cannot find any of these markings, it means that the risk of slipping is not covered by the shoe.

The meaning of the SRA, SRB and SRC standards

As mentioned above, in order to understand the performance of a sole in terms of grip, a test is carried out. Know then that the mentions SRA, SRB and SRC correspond respectively to three tests of resistance to slipping. In addition, the grip of a non-slip sole is measured according to the type of floor and the type of lubricant used to create the slippery environment.

• SRA anti-slip soles are tested on a damp ceramic floor sprayed with a Lauryl sulfate solution.
• For SRBs, the test is carried out on a smooth steel floor covered with glycerol.
• The SRC standard, on the other hand, results from the combination of the two previous tests.

While the additional SRA standard is suitable in the presence of water on the floor, the SRB standard is ideal in the presence of fatty products. And since SRC-certified non-slip soles have been able to pass both SRA and SRB testing, they are often the most preferred.

It should be noted that the grip requirements are the same for both the EN 20345 standard (safety shoes) and the EN 20347 standard (work shoes).