fotsäkert

Fotsäkert is a Swedish term used to describe the safety characteristics of products or practices that protect the feet from injury. In occupational safety, it refers to measures designed to reduce risks such as crushing, puncture, slips, and impact injuries, as well as to the reliability of footwear and related equipment. The concept encompasses protective footwear, anti-slip soles, puncture-resistant midsoles, toe and metatarsal protection, ankle support, and features such as waterproofing and electrical isolation where applicable. In workplaces, organizations may use the descriptor fotsäkert to signal adherence to safety goals and to guide the selection of appropriate footwear and floor surfaces, as well as to inform training and risk assessment.

Etymology: the word is formed from fot meaning "foot" and säker meaning "safe" in Swedish, with the suffix -t common to adjectives describing a state or quality. The term is not a formal regulatory category in itself but is widely used in safety communications and product labeling.

Regulatory context: safety footwear and related protective equipment are governed by national and European standards. In the European Union, PPE Regulation (EU) 2016/425 and the related EN ISO standards (for example EN ISO 20345 for safety footwear) define performance requirements such as impact resistance, compression, slip resistance, and penetration resistance. The label fotsäkert is often used informally to indicate compliance with these principles, though actual certification rests on tested conformity assessments.

See also: protective footwear, personal protective equipment, slip resistance, workplace safety, risk assessment.