PPE Standards, Plain English
EN standards are the legal language of UK personal protective equipment. Understanding them takes the guesswork out of buying. Here's what the codes on your gloves, hi-vis, helmet and respirator actually mean.
Jump to a standard
EN 388
Hand Protection
Covers gloves protecting against mechanical risks. Ratings are stamped on the glove cuff as a four-digit code (plus letters under the 2016 update).
| 1st digit, Abrasion resistance | Cycles before wear-through. 0–4. |
| 2nd digit, Cut resistance (coup test) | Older Coupe-test rating. 0–5. Superseded for cut-resistant gloves by the EN ISO 13997 letter rating. |
| 3rd digit, Tear resistance | Force in newtons before tearing. 0–4. |
| 4th digit, Puncture resistance | Force in newtons before puncture. 0–4. |
| Letter A–F, TDM cut (EN ISO 13997) | Modern cut-resistance test. A is lightest, F is heaviest. Use this rating for any cut-hazard work. |
| P, Impact protection | Optional. Indicates back-of-hand impact protection compliant with EN 13594. |
EN ISO 20471
High Visibility Clothing
Specifies the design and minimum amount of fluorescent and retroreflective material a hi-vis garment must have to make the wearer conspicuous. Three classes by area of material.
| Class 1 | Lowest visibility, typically waist-only or trousers alone. For non-traffic environments. |
| Class 2 | Mid visibility, vests and most short-sleeve hi-vis tops. Suitable for low-speed traffic and warehouse work. |
| Class 3 | Highest visibility, long-sleeve sleeved garments and full coveralls. Required for highways, rail, and any high-speed road environment. |
| Fluorescent + retroreflective | Both elements must be present. Fluorescent for daytime, retroreflective for headlight conditions. |
EN 397
Industrial Helmets
The mandatory standard for industrial safety helmets in the UK. Covers shock absorption, penetration resistance, and flame resistance.
| Mandatory | Vertical shock absorption, penetration resistance, flame resistance, chinstrap anchorage. |
| −20°C / −30°C | Optional cold performance, required for cold-store and winter outdoor work. |
| +150°C | Optional high-temperature resistance for hot environments. |
| 440 V AC | Electrical insulation up to 440 V. Useful for general electrical work; for live-line work use EN 50365 helmets (1000 V). |
| MM, Molten metal splash | Optional. Required for foundry and welding work. |
| LD, Lateral deformation | Optional. Resists side-on crushing forces, useful for confined-space work. |
EN 166
Eye & Face Protection
The base standard for safety glasses, goggles and face shields. Markings on the lens and frame tell you what the eyewear is rated for.
| Optical class 1/2/3 | Optical quality. Class 1 is the highest, required for continuous wear. |
| F, Low energy impact | 45 m/s. Most safety glasses. |
| B, Medium energy impact | 120 m/s. Goggles and face shields. |
| A, High energy impact | 190 m/s. Heavy-duty face shields only. |
| K, Surface anti-scratch | Resistant to fine particle abrasion. |
| N, Anti-fog | Resistant to misting in humid environments. |
| 3, 4, 5, 8, 9 | Additional ratings for liquid splash, dust, gas, electric arc, and molten metal. |
EN 352
Hearing Protection
The standard family for ear plugs, ear defenders and helmet-mounted muffs. Rated by SNR (Single Number Rating) attenuation in dB.
| EN 352-1 | Ear muffs / defenders. |
| EN 352-2 | Ear plugs (disposable and reusable). |
| EN 352-3 | Helmet-mounted ear defenders. |
| SNR | Single Number Rating, average attenuation in dB across the audio spectrum. Higher = more reduction. Match to your noise survey. |
| H / M / L | Attenuation at high / medium / low frequencies, for choosing the right protector for the noise type (e.g. low-frequency machinery vs. high-frequency power tools). |
EN 149
Filtering Half Masks (FFP)
The standard for disposable filtering facepieces. Three protection classes ranked by total inward leakage and filter penetration.
| FFP1 | Filters at least 80% of airborne particles. Nuisance dust, light sanding. Total inward leakage ≤22%. |
| FFP2 | Filters at least 94%. Most construction dust, MDF, plaster, biological aerosols. Total inward leakage ≤8%. |
| FFP3 | Filters at least 99%. Asbestos, silica, lead, hardwood dust, harmful biological agents. Total inward leakage ≤2%. |
| R / NR | R = reusable across shifts. NR = single-shift use only. |
| Valve / valveless | Valved masks (with exhalation valve) are easier to wear for long periods. Valveless are required for medical / clean-room use to avoid expelling unfiltered breath. |
EN ISO 11612
Flame Resistant Clothing
EN ISO 11612 covers protection against heat and flame for general industry. EN ISO 11611 is the specific welding standard. Multi-norm garments stack ratings (FR + arc flash + chemical, etc.).
| A1 / A2, Limited flame spread | A1 surface ignition, A2 edge ignition. Both indicate the fabric self-extinguishes. |
| B, Convective heat | Resistance to heat transfer from a flame. Levels B1–B3. |
| C, Radiant heat | Resistance to heat transfer from a radiating heat source. Levels C1–C4. |
| D / E, Molten metal splash | D for aluminium, E for iron. Foundry work and metal processing. |
| F, Contact heat | Resistance to contact with hot surfaces. |
EN 14605 / EN 13034
Chemical & Spill Protection
Standards covering chemical-protective suits and accessories. Six suit Types (1–6) range from gas-tight encapsulating suits down to limited splash protection.
| Type 1, Gas-tight | Fully encapsulating, breathing apparatus inside the suit. |
| Type 2, Non-gas-tight | Positive pressure suit, BA outside the suit. |
| Type 3, Liquid-tight (jet) | Resistance to pressurised liquid jet (e.g. hose washdown of contaminants). |
| Type 4, Spray-tight | Resistance to saturated spray. |
| Type 5, Particle-tight | Solid airborne particle protection. |
| Type 6, Limited splash | Light splash protection, most common disposable coverall rating. |
Need help choosing the right rating?
For complex or high-risk applications, talk to us. We deal with this every day and can recommend the right specification for the job.