Top to Toe Protection: Safety features to look for in work boots
Proper protection requires more than steel toes
Steel cap boots certified to AS 2210.3 are required PPE on most job sites. But in most environments, there’s a whole slew of risks present on the premises:
- Contact with live wires
- Chemicals like acids and corrosive substances
- Hard waste
- Water making the ground slippery
- Old screws, nails, studs and staples
- Oil or petrol
- Weather, especially high summer temperatures and winter rain
- Hot surfaces
If you work on a mine site, you can probably tick off the entire list in a single swing. Thanks to technical advancements, your safety boots offer protection against these hazards.
Let’s catch up on some important safety features that the safest work boots should have.
Safety features to look for when buying new work boots
Electrical protection
There are two types of electrical protection for safety boots:
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Anti-Static
Anti-Static boots dissipate the static electricity in your body through the soles of the boots. This offers a level of protection against ignition hazards from sources like flammable materials and ignitable gases, and disturbances to sensitive electronic equipment. It also stops those annoying zaps when you touch metal objects.
Almost all Steel Blue boots are Anti-Static, but a few specialised boots feature Electrical Hazard or EH protection.
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Non-conductive
EH (Electrical Hazard) safety boots are a supplement to protect the wearer in case of accidental electric shock. Usually made with rubber soles, these boots are not the primary protection against live electricity, but they are extremely reliable at resisting charges up to 18000 volts at 60 Hz for 1 minute.
Engineered foot support
If your work boots don’t properly support your feet, you run the risk of becoming a hazard to yourself and your crew:
- Fatigue that can cause you to make mistakes
- Slips and trips
- Rolled and sprained ankles
- Falling off elevated platforms
- Missing a step on the ladder, truck or tractor
- Getting your foot caught on the forklift pedal
Safety and comfort go hand-in-glove…or in this case, foot-in-shoe. Properly designed work boots will absorb the impact of walking, climbing ladders, riding tractors – anything a tradie or farmer can throw at them, while staying comfortable all day.
Chemical Resistant
If your work brings you into contact with caustic chemicals, acids or other dangerous chemicals, you need to ensure your safety footwear will keep you safe.
Steel Blue Chemical Resistant safety boots feature a Polyurethane midsole and a rubber Nitrile outsole for secondary protection against mild chemical splashes. Our Chemical Resistant range feature either TECtuff® or caustic resistant Leather which has been tested for resistance against Sodium Hydroxide and Sulphuric Acid.
Penetration Resistant
Stray screws, leftover nails, sharp metal edges: the idea of stepping on these are also a safety concern. That’s why we created Penetration Resistant work boots for women and men working in:
- Demolition
- Carpentry
- Fabrication
- Glass workshops
- Construction
Weather-resistant
When you need to get the job done, rain, hail or shine, the last thing you want is your boots letting you down. Many Tradies choose to have separate pairs of safety footwear for summer and winter, but the technology in Steel Blue boots makes them the ideal all-rounder.
Water Resistant Leather keeps your feet dry in the rain. For seriously wet work, look for our Waterproof boots.
Safety and all-day comfort in one
Tradies encounter a wide array of hazards on any given day. So when it comes to choosing the best safety boots, it’s essential to look at protection from every angle – not just the things in front of your feet.
Learn more about the technical innovations keeping you safe on the job or find a Steel Blue stockist near you.
