Wellingtons

Safety wellington boots provide reliable waterproofing in tough conditions and have evolved to provide extensive safety benefits, including mechanical and cut protection and resistance to impact and puncture injuries.

A staple piece of PPE equipment in a wide range of industries, here at Cromwell, we stock a wide selection of safety wellies from high-quality brands like Dunlop®, Adco® and Portwest®. For more insights and guidance on safety footwear, visit our comprehensive guide.

What are safety wellington boots?

Safety wellington boots are a combination of traditional rubber wellies and compliant safety features, such as a safety toecap and midsole and tested to EN ISO 20345. Fully waterproof with the advantage of protecting up to the lower knee, they're available in a range of designs and colours to suit specific industries and applications.

Why safety wellington boots?

The main advantage of wellington boots is that they are completely watertight. Their design has always been with the focus of keeping the feet and lower legs dry. Couple that with safety features, such as slip-resistance, cold-insulation, oil-resistance and more, and they're the ideal choice for industries where wet and oily conditions are a main feature.

Another benefit of safety wellies is their easy cleaning. They're quick and simple to hose down and spray with disinfectant, which makes them perfect for hygiene priority settings.

When are safety wellington boots used?

Safety wellies are the perfect choice of footwear for a wide range of industries, including construction, agricultural, and automotive. They're available in a range of colours with multiple application features.

For example, white safety wellingtons show up marks and stains to ensure cleanliness and hygiene in food production and medical facilities. While wellingtons used by forestry workers often feature front padding to protect against the slip of a chainsaw.

Safety wellington boot types

Professional wellingtons are widely used in a range of industries, where their waterproofing and extended protection are extremely advantageous. These safety wellies include a safety toecap and midsole as standard, and are CE marked with associated safety standards.

• Agriculture   -   Used in farming and other outdoor industries, these safety wellingtons are often insulated with a good grip and resistant to chemicals.

• Forestry   -   This is a standard heavy-duty safety wellington, but often features chainsaw protection at the front of the boot to offer cut protection against saw slips.

• Hygiene   -   Typically white in colour, these wellingtons are used widely in food production and medical settings. Designed to resist oils and chemicals, this type of boot delivers excellent slip-resistance and can have anti-static features.

• Construction   -   Designed specifically for use in building and construction, these boots often feature moulded ribbing on the front, sides and back of the ankle to protect against abrasion and other mechanical injuries. This type of wellington often features a reinforced heel to prevent penetration injuries and can be fur-lined with insulation properties.

• Fishing   -   Safety wellingtons with a pull-cord closure, or waders that extend to the top of the thigh are often worn in this industry. Grip, resilience and waterproofing is a priority in this design.

Considerations when choosing safety wellington boots

• Hazards - A risk assessment will inform the safety characteristics required for the setting. This will in turn let you know which safety features and safety classifications your safety wellingtons will need to meet, to mitigate the risks associated with your particular workplace.

• Fit - Wellingtons should be fitted in the same way safety shoes are fitted to ensure comfort and optimum safety. With any shoes, but particularly safety footwear, it's important to select footwear that guarantees comfort and optimum fit, that are suited for you being on your feet for long periods of time.

• Toecaps - Just like safety shoes and safety boots, toecaps are available in traditional steel, composite or aluminium according to user preference. Steel toecaps are often preferred, but do add more weight to the product than an aluminium or composite toecap.

• Midsoles - Depending on the application, a midsole will protect against puncture injuries to the sole of the foot. Alternatively, a digging plate feature absorbs force at the instep during digging tasks.

• Soles - Dual density or single density depending on application requirements. Available in a wide range of materials, each with its own benefits and advantages.

Safety wellington boots jargon buster

Safety standards, especially those associated with safety wellingtons and other safety footwear can be a minefield of information. So, we've broken down and explained a key standard to help you choose the best wellingtons for the task.

To help you to make the best purchasing decision, we've outlined an applicable safety standard so you can better understand what our range has to offer...

What does safety standard EN ISO 20345 mean?

This safety standard, Personal protective equipment - Safety footwear outlines the basic safety requirements of safety footwear suitable for general purpose work. This includes slip-resistance properties, heat resistance and more.

Let's break it down...

• EN- The currently applicable standard across Europe

• ISO - The International Organisation for Standardisation define international safety standards

• 20345 - The assigned legislation number

• 2011 and 2022 - The year this safety standard was updated.

It's important to note that safety footwear products come with a five year certification as of the date they were tested. As a result of this, both the EN ISO 20345:2011 and EN ISO 20345:2022 are valid, as long as the certification of the safety footwear has not surpassed the five year certification date.

FAQs

Are neoprene wellies safety wellies?

Neoprene is a synthetic polymer that's used widely in wet suits and fishing clothes. It performs well over a wide range of temperatures and repels oils and liquids. While it can be used as a lining to some safety boots, a neoprene wellington will not protect against mechanical risks and is therefore never used to make safety wellington boots.

Can I get safety wellington boots with ankle support?

A lot of safety wellies designed for use in construction and other tough environments feature ankle support. In some cases, the boot has denser material around this area to support the ankle. While other safety wellies feature ribbed patterns that cover the front, sides, and back of the ankle and extend up the shin to reinforce the area to protect against mechanical risks and prevent over-extension. The product will be marked with "AN" if it provides ankle protection and has been tested to this.

Can I wear my safety wellingtons that are tested to EN ISO 20345:2011 still?
Safety wellingtons, like all safety footwear, come with a five year certificate marked with the date of purchase. This certificate is valid for five years, meaning that as long as the certification is still in date, wellington boots that meet the older standard EN ISO 20345:2011 can still be worn.

The EN ISO 20345:2022 and EN ISO 20345:2011 will co-exist until 2028, by which point all footwear to the 2011 iteration of the standard have expired certification, meaning the 2022 version of the standard will supersede the 2011 version.

What does the EN ISO 20345 standard test for?
Within the EN ISO 20345 standard, safety footwear can be tested against numerous hazards, and given what is known as a safety classification dependent on the outcome of each test.

Safety classification ranges from SB to S5 as per the 2011 iteration of the standard. The 2022 update to the standard introduced new safety classifications, which go up to S7.
All safety classifications include mandatory presence of a protective toecap that protects up to 200J.

As well as this, all safety classifications also require a level of mandatory slip resistance, which can be rated from SRA to SRC as per the 2011 standard.

The 2022 iteration of the EN ISO 20345 standard added a minimum requirement for slip-resistance. If the safety footwear surpasses this basic requirement and is also tested for slip-resistance on a ceramic tile with glycerol, under the updated standard, it is rated as SR. This is a more rigorous level of slip-resistance than the new basic requirement.

What other markings or tests are included in the EN ISO 20345 standard?
Besides the mandatory basic tests and the more robust additional tests as safety footwear moves up in safety classification, there are also optional, additional tests that safety footwear can be tested against.

There are 18 in total, as detailed and outlined below:

• PL   -   Safety footwear marked with PL signifies that the footwear has been tested for perforation resistance in a non-metallic insert, tested with a 4.5 mm test nail. This is a new addition as per the EN ISO 20345:2022 standard.

• PS   -   Similarly to the above, the marking PS refers to perforation resistance except this time with a non-metallic insert, tested with a 3.0 mm test nail. This is also a new marking as per the EN ISO 20345:2022 standard.

• P   -   Part of the EN ISO 20345:2011 standard, P signifies that the safety footwear has been tested for perforation resistance (metal insert).

• C   -   A C marking denotes that the safety footwear has been marked categorised as partly conductive footwear.

• A   -   The letter A denotes that the safety footwear has been marked as anti-static.

• HI   -   Safety footwear with the marking HI means that it has been tested for heat insulation of the sole complex.

• CI   -   Similarly to the above, CI denotes that the safety footwear possesses cold insulation of the sole complex.

• E   -   Refers to energy absorption of the seat region of the safety footwear.

• WR   -   Signifies that the footwear has been tested for water resistance. This is the new marking as per the EN ISO 20345:2022 standard, and means that no water penetration inside the footwear shall be detected for the footwear to achieve this marking.

WR is also used as per the 2011 iteration of the standard, but the 2011 test allows for 3cm cubed of water to penetrate the footwear. This means that the 2022 standard is more strict in defining safety footwear as water resistant.

• WRU   -   Part of the 2011 standard, WRU refers to water resistance of the upper part of the safety footwear only.

• WPA   -   Used to essentially replace the above marking WRU, as per the 2022 standard, footwear marked as WPA denotes that some water penetration and absorption of the footwear can occur.

• M   -   Refers to footwear with metatarsal protection.

• AN   -   Refers to footwear with ankle protection.

• CR   -   States that the footwear has cut resistance of the upper part.

• SC   -   A new optional requirement as per the 2022 standard, SC signifies that there is abrasion resistance of optional overcaps/scuff caps.

• SR   -   As mentioned previously, under the updated EN ISO 20345 standard, SR will be an optional slip-resistance test on top of the new minimum requirement of basic slip-resistance.

• HRO   -   Heat resistance of the outsole.

• FO   -   Fuel resistance and oil resistance.

• LG   -   The safety footwear has outsoles which provide hold on ladders, or 'ladder grip'. This is a new optional test as per the 2022 standard.


For more information on safety footwear see our Safety Footwear Guide... https://www.cromwell.co.uk/info/safety-technical-safety-footwear