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Kiran Kumar

Kiran Kumar

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Safety footwear, comprising of safety shoes and boots, forms an integral part of personal protective equipment used in the industrial and manufacturing industries. Personal protective equipment includes clothing and equipment to ensure the safety and protection of contractors, workers, and employees against workplace hazards. Businesses should perform a hazard assessment exercise of their work areas to understand the safety requirements of their workforce.

Use of Safety Shoes

A human foot has 26 bones,33 joints, 107 ligaments and 19 muscles. With right safety footwear, common injuries to the foot can be avoided. The need for safety shoes arises, if the nature of work involves the following:

- Carriage of equipment/load more than twenty pounds on a floor or level surface.

- Activities involving the use of wheeled carts carrying a load of more than fifty pounds.

- Heavy material handling.

- Mechanical lifting of equipment.

Categories of Safety Footwear

The nature of work categorizes protective footwear. Relevant factors include the quality of protective toe cap, the thickness of sole and material used, resistance to chemicals and anti-static properties.

1. Safety Boots:

Safety boots offer toe protection, insulation from extreme temperatures and are resistant to penetration. Safety boots with steel toe caps (steel cap in the toe section of the footwear is used in safety shoes to give protection to the wearer's toe and feet) and safety trainers are the most commonly used safety footwear. Steel toe caps guarantee better protection as compared to composite toe caps. There is a popular misconception that shoes with steel toe caps are heavy and uncomfortable. Shoes with composite toe caps are lighter as compared to steel toe cap ones because they are devoid of any metal and ensure zero electricity conduction.

Safety Boots online

Safety Boots

PVC safety shoes online

PVC Safety Shoes

2. PVC Safety Shoes:

Polyvinyl Chloride safety shoes offer resistance against a wide range of industrial chemicals. They have an anti-slip sole and anti-static properties. The smooth inner lining of PVC shoes provides comfort to the wearer.

3. Rubber Boots:

Rubber boots, made up of waterproof material, are generally up to knee-length. It is ideal for workers who have to perform their duties in damp conditions. These boots help in keeping the feet warm and dry.

Rubber boots online

Rubber Boots

Selection of Footwear

How do you decide which safety wear is ideal for your work environment? Here are some tips to help you choose the right footwear:

A) Risk Assessment:

It is necessary to know your work environment and conduct a thorough risk assessment to ascertain safety footwear requirements. Workers engaged in mechanical and maintenance workshops should opt for boots with steel caps. Those working in laboratories should choose enclosed footwear. Chemical resistant footwear is recommended for those working in chemical laboratories and chemical industries. For uneven terrains such as construction sites, boots with sound grip and shock absorbing nature should be chosen.

B) Footwear Fitting:

Choosing the right size for the footwear is essential. It is necessary to ensure that shoes have a sturdy heel space that houses the heel properly and does not slip while walking. It is advisable to go with shoes which have heels not more than 2.5 centimetres high.

C) Lacing Style:

The lacing style used can influence the fitting of safety footwear. Safety footwear makers usually use standard eyelets, D -rung eyelets and a combination of both to offer fast lacing. The nature of work, safety requirements and wearer's preference should be taken into account while choosing the lacing style for safety footwear.

D) Selection by Sole Type:

You can narrow down to the right heat resistant glove if you know about the heat exposure levels at the workplace. The process of choosing a chemical resistant glove depends on the nature of work, duration of chemical exposure, hazard level of the chemical and chemical temperature. For instance, to wipe off acetone, a standard disposable glove can be used, but if there is a specific task which involves dipping hand into an acetone solution, a disposable glove is a strict no-no.

PVC Soles: Safety shoes with PVC soles are known for their durability and resistance to temperatures up to 70'c. They offer protection even in heated industrial conditions.

PU Soles: PU soles are light-weight and are resistant to water and abrasion.

TPU Soles: Safety shoes with Thermoplastic urethane soles are compact, light but score high on durability.

d) Selection by Safety Category:

Metatarsal Shoes: These shoes are fashioned keeping in mind the protection of the upper part of the feet. They can considerably reduce the risk of injuries caused by falling of heavy equipment. Metatarsal shoes are meant for workers in construction industries and sites where handling of heavy equipment and machinery is required.

Electric Resistant Shoes: These shoes have a conspicuous sole which mitigates the risk of electric current flow to workers’ feet when they handle heavy voltage circuit and electrical wiring.

TPU Soles Safety shoes with Thermoplastic urethane soles are compact, light but score high on durability.

Metal Instep Shoes: These shoes protect against penetration injuries due to sharp objects like nails and cut glasses. Metal instep shoes are suited for workers involved in the manufacturing of glassware and machinery.

Slip Resistant Shoes: The shoes have interlocked soles which offer better grip and are slip resistant. These shoes are apt for workers who have to work in muddy and slippery worksites.

f) Selection by Toe Type:

Steel Toe: Steel toe shoes offer protection to the toes and feet of the wearer through an inbuilt steel toe cap within the work boot. The steel cap ensures protection against impact and compression.

Composite Toe: - Composite toe shoes are similar to steel toe ones. The composite toe cap consists of non-metallic and non-magnetic material. It is lightweight as compared to their steel toe counterparts. Composite toe shoes are suitable for those working at the airports, nuclear facilities and security installations.

Alloy Toe: Alloy toe shoes are lighter but strong enough to guarantee protection against the injuries. Light shoes do not cause fatigue and are comfortable for those working in factories, construction plants, etc.

Non-Metallic Toe: Non-metallic toe shoes are electrically non-conductive, lightweight, and comfortable to wear. Workers in the electrical industry and power plants prefer wearing non-metallic toe shoes.

Footwear Care

The longevity and durability of safety shoes and boots depend on care and proper maintenance. It is necessary to keep safety footwear clean and dry after use. Any unauthorized alteration to the footwear should not be done at any cost.

Top Selling Safety Shoes

1. Tiger Lorex Steel Toe Safety Shoe

2. Tiger Leopard Steel Toe Safety Shoe