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Safety Footwear
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Safety Footwear It is important that you choose the correct industrial footwear for
your specific working environment. We would therefore recommend that
in the first instance a risk assessment is carried out to ensure that
the correct protection level and style of footwear is selected.
Risk Assessment
Assess the risks within the working environment to either remove or
protect against the hazards. This must involve defining the correct
method of reducing them i.e. by removing, controlling or by choosing
suitable safety footwear. Safety features include:
-Impact resistant toe caps
-Pierce resistant midsoles
-Anti-static soles
-Sole resistance to heat
-Resistance to cold
-Water resistance
-Resistance to fuel oil
-Resistance to chemicals
-Slip resistant sole properties Materials and Construction There are various methods of attaching the sole of the footwear to the upper material; this has some considerable influence on product selection depending on the environment in which the footwear will be used. -Direct injection moulding - Again a strong construction method used with either one density of polyurethane (known as single density) or two densities, either polyurethane or an inner density of polyurethane and an outer density of nitrile rubber (known as dual density). Both types provide reduced weight with improved comfort and flexibility, without any compromise in performance. -Goodyear welted - Another traditional form of construction where the sole is stitched to the upper material, again a very strong method, which would generally be slightly heavier in use than the above. Suitable for most dry environments. -Cemented - This is exactly what it suggests; the sole unit is preformed and cemented (glued) onto the upper material creating a strong bond. -Cushioned soles - when standing for a long periods of time. -Wellington Boot - The vast majority of Wellingtons in use are direct injection moulded from either raw PVC with varying quantities of nitrile rubber or Polyurethane, both types provide excellent flexibility and resistance to chemicals. The Footwear Standard It should be noted that the concentration and type of chemicals should be identified. Within EN345 there are other features added to the safety footwear which are needed depending on the environment in which they are to be used. Adding numbers or letters after the EN345 mark denotes these additional features: -SB - Safety Basic has all the features required to pass the standard -SBP - As SB with pierce resistant midsole -S1 - As SB with anti-static sole and cushioned heel area -S1P - As S1 with pierce resistant midsole -S2 - As S1 with water resistant upper -S3 - As S2 with pierce resistant midsole Selecting the correct materials Selecting the correct materials is critical,especially when contaminants are present. By choosing the correct material the maximum lifespan of footwear can be achieved. -Nitrile rubber sole - for higher temperatures, oil and solvent resistant -Polyurethane soles - for general purpose use, oil and solvent resistant. -Anti-static footwear - to dissipate static electricity. Water repellent leather uppers - where there is an occassional exposure to water. PVC, PVC Nitrile, rubber and polyurethane uppers - where there is long term exposure to water and certain chemical applications. |
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