Safety footwear: main varieties and tips for choosing

To protect workers in hazardous industries, not only overalls, but also safety shoes are used. When choosing safety shoes, it is necessary to pay attention to its characteristics, which must fully correspond to the purposes of use.

Safety Shoes in UAE is presented in a wide range and the selection of such footwear must be taken very seriously, because it protects the health and life of an employee.

Choice of shoes

The production factors against which safety shoes are used can be different. Accordingly, shoes are selected taking into account this parameter:

  1. Vibration protection. To do this, you will need to choose shoes with a high level of vibration protection.
  2. Protection against mechanical damage (shocks, punctures). Such shoes should have protective socks to protect the toe, safety shields to protect the back of the foot, ankle, tibia. The sole must be very durable and elastic.
  3. Slip protection. Such shoes should have anti-slip durable soles with a coefficient of friction of 0.2 or more.
  4. Chemical protective footwear must be resistant to harsh chemicals.
  5. High and low temperature protection. Shoes must be able to withstand contact with a hot surface without damage, resist the ingress of splashes of molten metal and sparks. Also, shoes must withstand exposure to open flames for a short time.

Depending on the season and working conditions, shoes can be summer, insulated or demi-season.

The technology of attaching the sole is also important. The following options are available:

  1. Molded fastening technology involves the connection of the upper and sole without any fasteners. The elements are connected by the adhesion of the outsole material into the leather from which the upper is made.
  2. With the glue-and-stitch method of fastening, the connection of the rubber sole with the top occurs due to glue and threads. Such shoes are very light, flexible, easy to use due to the absence of nails.
  3. Glue-and-nail fastening technology involves gluing and nailing. This fastening method is now considered somewhat obsolete, as it does not provide a sufficiently high protection.

You should also pay attention to the material of the toecap. It can be composite or metal (steel, aluminum).