How to tell if your TikTok Shop gear is legit after work shoes recalled over safety breaches

These products, marketed as offering impact and penetration protection, were found to lack CE or UKCA markings and had not undergone the necessary conformity assessments. The Office for Product Safety and Standards (OPSS) confirmed that the footwear did not meet the requirements of Regulation (EU) 2016/425 or the Personal Protective Equipment (Enforcement) Regulations 2018 in up to 90% of cases.

James Crame, a site safety and PPE expert at Start Safety warns that this incident underscores the growing concern over the proliferation of substandard PPE in the marketplace, often sold through online platforms without adequate oversight, saying: “This recall emphasizes the need for stricter enforcement and greater vigilance in order to protect consumers and ensure that all PPE products meet established safety standards.

“The danger of non-compliant footwear is that it cannot be guaranteed or expected to provide the protection required for your feet in the event of an accident or incident. For example, the shoes mentioned in the ban were listed as ‘anti-puncture’ and ‘anti-smash’, they may well have a toe cap, and even an anti-puncture liner, but if they have not both been tested there is no way to know that they will do the job needed.

“This could lead to crushed toes, or a nail puncturing the bottom of the foot should you take a misstep at work.”

But what does this ban mean for people who have already bought the non-compliant shoes from TikTok Shop? James explains.

“Although the shoes mentioned in the ban and recall were shown not to have any proper certifications or testing data, it does not mean that all shoes sold through TikTok are substandard.

“People who have purchased shoes through the TikTok Shop should be especially aware to look for proper EN certifications on their shoes, such as EN20345. Not only should you be looking for the standard that the shoe is compliant with, but also evidence of testing data. This should be available with any PPE purchased online or elsewhere and contains details of the testing centre that certified the PPE.

“If in doubt about the validity of the brand of the footwear, or if the footwear has no markings, then they should not be worn as any part of your protective equipment in the workplace.”

James explains how to tell if your safety shoes are compliant:

1. Check the footwear itself for safety markings this should include an EN20345 marking along with either 2011 or 2022 suffix. There should also be further suffixes which indicate what standards of EN20345 the shoes meet. This may be something along the lines of S3 WR HR CI.
2. Look out for proper CE (and more recently UKCE) labelling. This can obviously be faked and just printed on anything, but if it is legit, this documentation means that these products are certified to be sold in the UK/EU markets and as such should conform with their correct EN certifications.
3. You should also request a copy of its testing certificate which should be freely available from the vendor the footwear was purchased from.

“Ultimately, I’d recommend people shop with a brand that they trust, or that is regarded widely in the industry for selling suitable PPE,” says James.

“Marketplaces like TikTok are fine, so long as the store you are purchasing from is someone with credentials and authenticity. But, with so many unknown brands now selling and drop-shipping directly from China, I personally think it's a good idea to avoid them and instead buy from a brand you recognise or can validate has a good safety record.

“By purchasing your products through BSIF registered sellers, you are buying from a company that cares about safety regulations and is regularly inspected by the BSIF to ensure conformity to all safety standards,”

For more information on identifying certified safety footwear, visit: https://startsafety.uk/collections/safety-footwear