What are safety shoes?
Nowadays, we have evolved to be consistent with the behavior of modern humans. Shoes are the same. Shoes are what we use to protect our feet. For normal walking, we can use general shoes that do not need much protection, just to prevent our feet from getting dirty. But if we work, we do not need just protection from dirt because accidents often happen in the workplace. Protecting feet from accidents with just normal shoes is not enough. Safety shoes are necessary for those who have to work in areas at risk of accidents. There are many types of safety shoes that are designed to prevent accidents as follows:
1. Can protect feet from falling objects.
When lifting heavy objects or working in a place with a lot of machinery or vehicles, falling objects is one of the first factors of danger. Therefore, wearing safety shoes with steel toes to protect the feet can help prevent broken toes and foot injuries. The standard impact on the toe of the shoe is 200 joules (able to withstand an impact of 20 kilograms from a height of 1 meter).
2. Can prevent penetration
Some environments may have sharp objects that can cut or puncture your feet, causing foot injuries. Wearing safety shoes can help because safety shoes have a sturdy sole or some models may have a steel plate sole to prevent nails.
3. Can prevent cutting
Certain types of work may require cutting or shearing, which requires footwear made of a specialized cut-resistant material. Safety footwear that is cut-resistant must meet international standards such as OSHA 29 CFR 266(d)(1)(v)V.
4. Can prevent slipping
Slipping can actually happen anywhere, but workers who have to work with machinery or vehicles will have to deal with slippery oil stains. Therefore, you should choose safety shoes with deep treads to provide better traction on the surface. Choosing safety shoes with deep treads also helps reduce wear on the soles and extend their usage.
5. Can prevent combustion
Burns from fire can occur at work, but chemicals can also burn. Safety shoes used for work involving sparks should be made of genuine leather, not PVC, as genuine leather is highly durable and does not spread fire.
6. Can protect against weather conditions
Working in extremely cold or hot areas, especially for workers who have to work in freezers or in front of furnaces, can be dangerous. However, we should use safety shoes with thick soles that are durable enough to withstand the conditions of the work surface.
7. Can prevent accidents from electric current. For those who work with electricity, there are many types:
7.1. Conductive Footwear Safety shoes that are conductive must be designed to release static electricity from the wearer's body through the shoes to the floor. The floor must be smooth so that static electricity can easily disperse. The purpose is to prevent static electricity from accumulating on both the body and the work area, which can cause an explosion or fire. Wear them when working in areas with explosives or chemicals that explode or easily catch fire.
7.2 Static Dissipate (SD) Footwear is a safety shoe that is both a conductive and an electrostatic protection shoe in one pair. It must have the ability to reduce the maximum accumulation of static electricity on the body, but still have a high enough static electricity level to resist electric current at a specified rate (test rate specified 106-109 ohms). That is, static dissipation shoes must be both a conductor and an electric current resistance that can be worn in areas with both types of risk.
7.3 Electrical Hazard (EH) Footwear Safety shoes used to protect against electrical hazards must have a sole structure that can reduce the danger of electric current when in contact with objects with electric current flowing through them. This is a secondary protection measure after covering or wrapping the outer surface of the electrical conductor with insulation. In other words, safety shoes with soles and heels made of non-conductive materials are intended to be worn in areas where electric current flows on the floor for whatever reason or in whatever form. This is to prevent the wearer from getting an electric shock. In this case, such areas must have measures to protect against electric current by covering with insulation beforehand. Safety shoes that can protect against electricity must generally be made of genuine leather, rubber, or non-conductive materials and have no seams between the sole and the shoe.
In summary, general-purpose safety shoes must have a toe that can withstand impact and compression according to the specified standards. They are considered “general-purpose safety shoes.” However, safety shoes may have more than one feature in the same pair. Next to the steel toe, the sole must also be puncture-resistant. These two main features are safety shoes that are currently in high demand by many employees.
