Today’s advancing industrial workplaces are full of unseen hazards and the people working at such workplaces are at great risk of jobsite injuries even fatal ones. Daily hustle and bustle while working at such sites leaves no room for being alert about your own body so it increases the risks further. The most susceptible body part to injury are your feet and we all know to do you job safely and accurately, you cannot focus on your feet all the time. Working efficiently thus requires a kind of safety footwear that can provide you with an ultimate protection for your foot all the time during your work. For this reason, here we are introducing different kinds of protective footwear that you require for working safely.
Safety Toes:
Every worker needs foot safety at workplace but as workplace environment of a welder is mostly fashioned with immense risks so it is necessary for him to look for a protective pair of work boots for himself. Toes are the most delicate and vulnerable parts of your feet and need extra protection. So finding a pair of protective toe shoes that fits your job the best should be given top priority. There are mainly three types of protective toes used for work boots and shoes, namely steel, composite and aluminum. All of them can be ASTM compliant and selected by the workers based on their needs of working environment.
Steel toes caps are kind of traditional ones and have a heaviest and most compact feel out of all safety toes. As your feet are not exposed to the inserted steel part, the steel toe footwear is able more susceptible to conduct electricity as compared to other safety toes which may not be the case. Many safety footwear manufacturers like KEEN Utility are working to improve the fit and comfort of steel toes by incorporating protective toecaps. Protective toecaps are specially designed giving a good fit to the wearer. Companies like KEEN Utility are now using asymmetrical safety toes in their industrial safety footwear, which are especially streamlined to the shape of toes and feet thus they provide safety without compromising the comfort of the wearer.
As compared to steel toes, aluminum safety toe caps provide the most lightweight protection to the wearer. With such comfort features, aluminum safety toes still meet the ANSI/ASTM safety standards. These safety toes are are still just as durable as the rest, as they have to meet the same testing standards for impact and compression. The exception is they are lighter weight allowing for longer hours on the job with less foot fatigue throughout the day.
The third type of safety toe caps are composite toes, which are normally composed of carbon fiber, plastic or a heath resistant synthetic fiber like Kevlar. Like other types, these also meet the ANSI and ASTM safety standards. These are the thickest safety toes with yet lighter feel and for this reason, they have the larger silhouette or outline as compared to other safety toes. Neither aluminum or composite safety toes conduct temperature (heat/cold) like steel toe boots nor do they conduct electricity due to their non-metallic construct. These all features combined offer a great deal of workplace safety especially to the workers who have electricity hazards at workplace.
Metatarsal guards:
Metatarsal guards are another highly sophisticated safety features in safety work boots. Metatarsal guard boots, sometimes called met-guard boots, are specifically beneficial for welders’ boots, as welding is a highly skilled craft involving many workplace hazards. Metatarsal guards come in a variety of materials, as well, and are all held up to the same ASTM and ANSI safety standards. The safety needs of workers, such as those who work in welding, keep the wearer’s feet better protected by providing a cover for the tops of their feet and toes from any heavy falling object. There is also an additional benefit of metatarsal guards for welders, i.e. protection to the laces and upper part against hot or fiery objects.
More advanced safety features:
In the today’s market, many incredible products are available that add more splendor to the protection features in safety footwear. One of such safety features is abrasion resistant tough leather. This tough leather is often incorporated in the protective footwear as outer covering especially on the upper area of foot. This leather covering provides the upper of work boots with an extra layer of safety. There is one more safety feature named as Kevlar fibers, which is utterly incredible for the artisans like welders who work near flames or fiery objects. Kevlar is a strong and heat resistant synthetic fiber, which is now a day extensively being incorporated in the safety footwear designed for welders. Even some manufacturers are utilizing laces made of Kevlar fiber in order to avoid any fire accident.
All of the above mentioned safety features are now widely available in almost any kind of protective footwear; you just have to look for the best suitable one for your feet. Choosing the best type of safety footwear for the job you do can be all the difference between a protected foot and an injured foot. It is best to know what type of safety footwear is recommended for the jobs that you do. Most employers have strict rules and regulations to follow with personal protective equipment, including the footwear that is approved. If you’re unsure which type of safety footwear is best for the job you do speak to an authoritative figure on the job site for the best recommendations. If you have more questions or want to see more variety of safety footwear selections, visit Working Person’s Store and now order a pair of ASTM and ANSI approved safety footwear for yourself.
