The British Safety Industry Federation (BSIF) has warned that a recent recall of safety shoes sold via TikTok highlights ‘the alarmingly wide availability of substandard personal protective equipment (PPE) in the UK market’.
The BSIF says the recalled product, listed on TikTok Shop under multiple descriptors including ‘Men’s Anti-smash and Anti-puncture Shoes’, ‘Breathable Non-slip Work Shoes’, ‘Comfortable Safety Shoes for Men’, and ‘Fashionable Shoes for Daily Wear, Boy’, was advertised as offering protection despite failing to meet essential safety requirements.
The recall was issued by the Office for Product Safety and Standards (OPSS) following the intervention of Lewis Collantine, a product safety consultant specialising in trading standards, who brought the issue to light. The OPSS says the product “presents a serious risk of injuries because although advertised as ‘anti-smash’ and ‘anti-puncture’, there is no evidence it has undergone conformity assessment as PPE, and it is not CE or UKCA marked.”
The OPSS added: “The product does not meet the requirements of the Regulation (EU) 2016/425 on Personal Protective Equipment, or the Personal Protective Equipment (Enforcement) Regulations 2018.” While the shoes have now been removed from TikTok following OPSS enforcement action, at the time of the BSIF issuing its warning, similar – if not identical – footwear remained for sale on platforms such as Temu.
BSIF CEO, Alan Murray, said: “The BSIF has been aware of a burgeoning volume of substandard footwear available on platforms such as TikTok for some time, but we are pleased to see Trading Standards take action, and must applaud the work of Lewis Collantine, who has been instrumental in bringing this example to light.
“This is exactly why the new Product Safety and Metrology Bill needs to ensure there are real ramifications for online suppliers who fail to provide properly certified products. Employers and users deserve confidence that PPE described as ‘protective’ genuinely meets standards and offers the protection it claims.”
The BSIF reiterates the importance of buying PPE only from BSIF Registered Safety Suppliers, who it says ‘are committed to supplying certified and compliant products that keep workers safe’.
The toe protection in the pictured shoes compressed when a 20 kg weight was dropped from a one metre high despite them being advertised as ‘anti-smash’.
