Fingertips Impact Resistance (ISO 20344, §5.4)

The ISO 20344 standard was designed by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) to describe the properties and test methods of protective footwear. This standard has been published in our country by the Turkish Standards Institute (TSE) with the following title: TS EN ISO 20344 Personal protective equipment - Test methods for footwear.

This standard includes safety shoes, protective shoes and describes procedures for testing individual components of professional shoes, rather than testing them as a whole. In this respect, it discloses a large number of methods for testing shoes of personal protective equipment. Among the test methods in the standard that are valid for all protective shoes, clause 5.4 is for determining the impact resistance of the toes.

Clause 5.4 of the said standard is arranged as follows:

• 5.4 Determination of impact resistance
• 5.4.1 Apparatus
• 5.4.2 Procedure

In general, the ISO 20344 standard describes 17 test methods for safety shoes. These tests are mainly carried out in advanced laboratories to control quality and detect errors in production systems.

When determining the impact resistance of the toes of the shoes, a part inside the tester is dropped onto the front of the shoe. The drop height is the height required to obtain the required impact energy, calculated as potential energy. Evaluation is carried out by measuring the free opening in the nostril at the time of impact. Deformation is measured using a micrometer.

Special ergonomic features for safety footwear should be verified by tests using three different sizes of testers. The tests then simulate typical tasks performed during general use, such as walking, climbing and descending steps, and kneeling and crouching.

Within the framework of foot protection equipment testing services, our organization also provides testing services for the impact resistance of the fingertips (ISO 20344, §5.4).