The State Administration of Market Supervision and Administration and State Standardization Administration of China issued a standard on foot protection with regard to safety of footwear. The standard GB 21148-2020 “Foot protection. Safety of footwear” was issued in July 2020 but will become effective from August 1, 2021. Currently, the version of GB 21148-2007 is valid and will be replaced from the effective date of GB 21148-2020.

The new standard is applicable to shoes that are aimed to protect the person’s feet from hazards in the work area. It also combines the requirements from GB 21146-2007 “Personal protective equipment. Occupational footwear”, GB 21147-2007 “Personal protective equipment. Protective footwear” and GB 12011-2009 “Foot protection. Electrically insulating footwear”.

Thus, the new version of the standard has a wider application area. The main changes concern the following:

• Four terms "safety shoes", "leather", "polymeric material", and "protection toe cap" were amended
• Four terms "conductive shoes", "anti-static shoes", "electrically insulating shoes", and "fuel oil" have been deleted
• Term "mixed shoes" as well as some provisions to the mixed shoes were added
• Description of some shoe components was amended
• New symbols of protective performance marking were added and some of them were revised
• Some essential and additional requirements to safety of shoes were revised (such as ergonomic and structural requirements)
• Some particular requirements were added (such as slip resistance and wear resistance requirements)
• General requirements for toe protection were added
• Information provided by the manufacturer shall include the statement of harmlessness and the requirement of safety information

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The information has been prepared by the GMA Consult Group team.‍

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