New norms of the footwear for professional use

On the other hand, in this same month of February approved the norm IN ISO 20347:2012 - Team of personal protection. Footwear of work (ISO 20347:2012), that substitutes to the norm IN ISO 20347:2004 and his amendment of 2007. Although this new norm still has not published in the OJEU, is foreseen that it do it in the next edition of the listing of norms harmonised for the Directive 89/686/CEE.

The norm IN ISO 20346:2004 for footwear of protection and his amendment of 2007 remains unchanged.

In this document will give the most notable appearances that enter these new norms in relation with his predecessors.

Enters the definition for a new type of footwear. We speak of the hybrid footwear, a variation of the shod class II (all polymeric or everything of rubber) that incorporates another material which extends the cut.

The requirements of resistance to the slide that before specified in the IN ISO 20345:2004/To1:2007 and in IN ISO 20347:2004/To1:2007, they incorporate now to the body of the norm.

Treats of a change of form, no background, since the requirements do not suffer alteration. The requirements of resistance to the slide establish that the footwear has to reach some values for the minima for the coefficients of friction, in one of the three situations that expose in the Table 1. Each one of these suppositions carries associated a marked determinate that it has to reflect in the footwear.

On the other hand, the resistance to the hydrocarbons that in the version of 2004 and his amendment of 2007 was a compulsory requirement for the safety footwear as IN ISO 20345, raisin be an optional requirement in the version of 2011, by what the footwear that allege fulfillment with this condition will have to carry marked the symbol FO.

The materials of leather that incorporate in the footwear, as in the cuttings of leather, lengüetas or staff of leather, have to present a content of Chromium SAW that it will not exceed the 3,0 mg/kg when it test according to the method of the norm ISO 17075.

The Oxide of Chromium (SAW) (CrO3) is a substance is corrosiva for the eyes, the leather and the respiratory tract. One of his uses gives in the industry of curtido of leathers, where has ascertained the relation between the exhibition to the Cr (SAW) of these workers and the incidence of the cancer.

The roads of exhibition more usual are cutaneous, nasal and digestive. The prolonged contact or repeated can produce sensitisation of the leather. Whereas the prolonged exhibition or repeated by inhalation can originate asthma. The substance can affect to the respiratory tract, kidney, giving place to perforación of the septo nasal, renal alteration.

This substance is carcinógena for the human beings. It can cause hereditary genetic damage in human germinal cells. (2)

This modification of the requirement is in reality a change in the analytical method with which determines the content of Cr SAW in the parts of the footwear elaborated in leather. In the norm IN ISO 20345:2004 the determination does with the method that gives in IN ISO 20344:2004 and the content in Cr SAW did not have to be detectable when it used the analytical method that detailed in this norm.

In the definite version of the norm, have disappeared the soles of high electrical resistance like additional requirement. This requirement was present in the drafts generated during the process of manufacturing of the norm. By what the relative optional requirements to the electrical properties of the footwear encircle to the insulating footwear of the electricity, the antistatic footwear and the conductive footwear.

On the other hand, the symbol of marked for the insulating footwear of the electricity that indicated in IN ISO 20345:2005 and that represented by means of the letter “I”, has happened to harmonise with the denomination that uses for all the destined equipment to works in tension, and that in the case of the footwear specifies in the norm IN 50321 (double triangle with the class 0 or 00, as it correspond).

Therefore, the applicable requirements to the safety footwear as IN ISO 20345:2011 and IN ISO 20347:2012 they are those that appear in the Table 2.

For the resistant staff to the perforación no metallic, has entered a modification according to which, when it test the staff using a strength of at least 1100 N, the tip of the needle of essay will not penetrate through the sample of essay. To reach the result “happens”, the tip of the needle of essay will not project the sample of essay. This will check by visual essay, cinematographic or electrical detection.

On the other hand, the staff anti-perforación metallic because of the new essay of resistance to the corrosion that will force to that the new staff are of steel without tin

Because of the difficulties to which confronts the industry to adapt to this change in particular, the French federation of footwear and SYNAMAP have requested to the ESF that present in front of the permanent committee on the 89/686/CEE a request that the period of transition prolong so that the footwear according to the version of 2007 can follow producing until the 31-12-13 and lengthen his commercialisation until the 31-12-14. These periods of transition would allow an adaptation of the products of 2007 reasonable, taking into account that these do not offer problems of hygiene.

notable Changes in the marked

As already it commented at the beginning of this article, the new versions of the norms, contemplate a type of footwear that designates hybrid footwear. In this sense has added a new symbol of marked additional for the category of hybrid footwear. The symbol SBH, for the footwear as IN ISO 20345:2011 and OBH for the footwear as IN ISO 20347:2012 they indicate that the footwear fulfils with the basic requirements that demand in each one of the norms.

Incidentally, has entered an exigencia additional to the marked, so that in case that the present footwear any marked additional related with the hygiene, the manufacturer will have to provide proofs that support the indication and will give an explanation in the information for the manufacturer. For example, if it appears a marked “resistant to the acid”, at least the sole will have been tested as IN 13832-1 (degradation) and will fulfil the requirements of IN 13832-3:2006, 6.2.2.6.

In a principle, the European Commission had fixed a period of transition between the new norms and the version of the 2004 that finishes on 30 June. During this period both versions of the norms would have presumption of compliance with the Essential Requirements of Health and hygiene of the Directive 89/686/CEE. Finalised this period, the version of 2004 would lose presumption of compliance and between other things, all the inspections of market would be llevar according to the criteria of the new version of the norm.

When already the norm was approved and the period of transition was almost ready to finalise, detected a problem: the manufacturers of staff anti-perforación no metallic that supply to the industry of the footwear did not have time to change his means of production to satisfy all the demand of the market according to the new requirements.

To his time, existed a similar problem with the staff anti-perforación metallic because of the new essay of resistance to the corrosion that will force to that the new staff are of steel without tin.

Asepal, the French federation of footwear and the French union Synamap requested through the European Safety Federation (ESF) the presentation in front of the permanent committee on the 89/686/CEE of a request so that the period of transition prolonged so that the footwear according to the ancient versions can follow producing until the 31-12-13 and lengthen his commercialisation until the 31-12-14. These periods of transition would allow an adaptation of the products of 2007 reasonable, taking into account that the ancient versions of the norms do not offer problems of hygiene.

Finally the decision of the European Commission on expanding the period of transition of the new versions of the norms of footwear has been the one to prolong the presumption of compliance 12 months in place of the 18 months that asked . Like this, therefore, the new deadline established so that the footwear that put in the market fulfil with the new version of the norm is the 30/06/2013.

Bibliography

1. European Commission. Official Journal of the European Union. Eur-lex.europa.eu. [On-line] February 16, 2012. http://eur-lex.europa.eu/lexuriserv/lexuriserv.do?uri=oj:C:2012:045:0001:0024:it is:PDF. C 45/22.
2. International committee of Experts of the IPCS. National institute of hygiene and Hygiene in the Work. Index cards FISQ. [On-line] http://www.insht.es/inshtweb/contenidos/documentacion/fichastecnicas/fisq/ficheros/1101a1200/nspn1194.pdf.
3. CEN. IN ISO 20345:2011 Team of individual protection. Safety footwear (ISO 20345:2011).
4. CEN. IN ISO 20347:2012 Team of personal protection. Footwear of work (ISO 20347:2012).