ISO 7010 · M-series · Mandatory action
M008 Wear safety footwear
Safety boots or shoes must be worn beyond this point.
- ISO 7010 reference
- M008
- Registered title
Wear safety footwear
ISO Online Browsing Platform, ISO 7010 - M008, Wear safety footwear, reference number and registered title- Colour and shape
- Blue circle, white symbol: Mandatory action: you must do this here
What the blue circle means
In HSE’s guidance on the UK Safety Signs and Signals Regulations 1996, a mandatory action sign has a round shape
Health and Safety Executive (HSE), L64 Safety signs and signals: The Health and Safety (Safety Signs and Signals) Regulations 1996. Guidance on Regulations (third edition), Part 2, mandatory signs, intrinsic features (a), page 16 and a white pictogram on a blue background (the blue part to take up at least 50% of the area of the sign)
Health and Safety Executive (HSE), L64 Safety signs and signals: The Health and Safety (Safety Signs and Signals) Regulations 1996. Guidance on Regulations (third edition), Part 2, mandatory signs, intrinsic features (b), page 16
Its colour stands for: Mandatory sign
, Specific behaviour or action, eg wear protective equipment
Health and Safety Executive (HSE), L64 Safety signs and signals: The Health and Safety (Safety Signs and Signals) Regulations 1996. Guidance on Regulations (third edition), Table 1, blue, meaning or purpose (page 12)
In the UK: HSE L64
Safety boots must be worn
Health and Safety Executive (HSE), L64 Safety signs and signals: The Health and Safety (Safety Signs and Signals) Regulations 1996. Guidance on Regulations (third edition), name under the mandatory signs in Schedule 1, page 16For example, in some workplaces there may be a risk of foot injury despite taking measures to control the risk and it may be appropriate to remind staff using the sign indicating that wearing foot protection is mandatory.
Health and Safety Executive (HSE), L64 Safety signs and signals: The Health and Safety (Safety Signs and Signals) Regulations 1996. Guidance on Regulations (third edition), paragraph 16
In the US: OSHA
OSHA’s rule below is about the hazard or the equipment, not about the sign itself.
The employer shall ensure that each affected employee uses protective footwear when working in areas where there is a danger of foot injuries due to falling or rolling objects, or objects piercing the sole
US Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), 29 CFR 1910.136 Foot protection, 1910.136(a)
Signs people confuse with it, or find beside it
Other mandatory action signs
Sources
ISO 7010 is a paid standard. Its OBP entries are free to view, but they are a script-driven app, so the title and reference number above are copied from the entry's own heading as it lists them (read 2026-09-29), not from the paid text. Other lines in quotation marks are HSE’s or OSHA’s words.
- Health and Safety Executive (HSE): L64 Safety signs and signals: The Health and Safety (Safety Signs and Signals) Regulations 1996. Guidance on Regulations (third edition) (published 2015). Used here: name under the mandatory signs in Schedule 1, page 16; paragraph 16; Part 2, mandatory signs, intrinsic features (a), page 16; Part 2, mandatory signs, intrinsic features (b), page 16; Table 1, blue, instruction and information (page 12); Table 1, blue, meaning or purpose (page 12). www.hse.gov.uk Checked 2026-09-29.
- US Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA): 29 CFR 1910.136 Foot protection (current eCFR text). Used here: 1910.136(a). www.osha.gov Checked 2026-09-29.
- ISO Online Browsing Platform: ISO 7010 - M008, Wear safety footwear (registered safety sign entry). Used here: reference number and registered title. www.iso.org Checked 2026-09-29.