The safety of workers is very paramount in any organization. In fact, the performance of companies is proportional to the quality of their workers. It is therefore imperative that the laborers wear safety shoes at all times. However, many people still donot know what to look for when purchasing such shoes. This article majors on the key qualities to check on when purchasing these shoes.
What Makes for a Good Safety Shoe?
These shoes were originally known as steel shoes. This was because they were made of steel to protect the toes from danger at the workplace. This name has however been dropped because they are now being made from various materials other than steel. Apart from protecting the toe from falling objects, they now also shield against electric currents and static charges from the floor.
Industrial safety boots and Safety shoes should have the following properties
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Toe Cap
The toes should be adequately protected at workplace. This is because they are prone to injuries from falling objects. An average toe cap of asafety shoe should therefore be 200 joules. This means it can protect the shoe from the impact of a falling object whose impact has that energy magnitude.
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Penetration resistant
Another safety hazard at work places and industries are sharp objects. These include nails, metals, wood chips and cables. The feet should be protected from cuts from these objects. The shoe should therefore resist a penetration force of at least 1100N. This is usually achieved by inserting aluminum or steel in the sole if the shoes.
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Anti-static
The body usually accumulates static charges, these could be gotten from clothing or the environment. If one does not have safety shoes, the charges quickly leave the body when one touches a conductor. This usually results into some shock. These shoes should therefore be able to protect one from such shock.
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Electrically insulated
Some workers interreactoften with open electrical cables. These could be electrical engineers or construction workers. This poses danger since they are likely to experience electrical shockwhich can even lead to loss of life. Their shoes should therefore be insulated to protect them from this shock.
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Insulated against heat or cold
Shoes are generally at risk of stepping on hot or cold items. This may cause burns or cause the feet to freeze leading to poor production of or even harm to the worker. They should therefore be protected from extreme temperatures from the environment, the floor or other items at the workplace.
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Water Resistant
The feet should always be warm. This however may not be the case if it comes in contact with cold water. In case of dirty water, one may run the risk of getting waterborne diseases such as bilharzia. One should therefore ensure the shoes are water resistant to curb such discomfort.
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Aesthetics
Apart from technical considerations, one need shoes that make them happy. Ensure the shoe has the color, shape, size or even the brand that you want.
Different work places need a specific quality more than the other. One should therefore figure out which quality meets his need and look for that specific shoe. For more information, please visit https://www.safetybootskenya.com
