Safety boots are a main element to be able to efficiently perform a task at work and prevent injuries to our feet and in general to our health. Safety boots in general must meet specific requirements and parameters that ensure proper operation and that meet the main objective that is to protect the health of the user.
Safety footwear must include a toe cap made of a material hard enough to protect the fingers from falling heavy objects, it must also have a sole that is resistant to corrosive substances and is non-slip. There are other safety parameters such as anti-perforation insoles, internal comfort that does not cause injuries inside the foot. Safety boots must basically comply with some internationally regulated standards such as ISO20345 and ASTM2413, a safety footwear that complies with these standards can basically cover the health of the user’s feet.
EN ISO 20345:2011 Standard
This international standard specifies basic and additional (optional) requirements for safety footwear used for general purposes. It includes, for example, mechanical risks, slip resistance, thermal risks, ergonomic behavior.
ASTM F2413-18 Standard
Standard specification for performance requirements for protective (safety) toecap footwear.
The specification contains performance requirements for footwear to protect workers feet from the following hazards by providing;
I Impact resistance (I) for the toe area of footwear.
C Compression resistance (C) for the toe area of the footwear.
Mt Metatarsal impact protection (Mt) that reduces the chance of injury to the metatarsal bones at the top of the foot.
Cd Conductive properties (Cd) which reduce hazards that may result from static electricity build up; and reduce the possibility of ignition
of explosives and volatile chemicals.
EH Electric hazard protection (EH), to protect the wearer when accidental contact is made by stepping on live electric wires.
SD Static dissipative properties (SD) to reduce hazards due to excessively low footwear electrical resistance that may exist where SD
footwear is required.
PR Puncture resistance (PR) for footwear devices.
