Having become mandatory for the majority of handling work, safety shoes have become widespread in the professional environment. To know how to choose your work shoes, many criteria are taken into account and are associated with the risks specific to the different trades. Aware of the importance of having a perfectly adapted safety shoe in terms of size, comfort, and risk prevention, the Kameymall teams help you find the shoe that suits you.
What protection for what risks?
The main risks involved depend on the working environment. For environments strewn with various dangerous objects, safety shoes must protect workers from sharp or piercing objects present on the ground thanks to their anti-perforation sole (P), and possibly a high upper to protect the ankle.
Contact with chemicals:if you have to walk in places soiled by organic oils, it is essential to wear shoes with soles resistant to hydrocarbons (FO). Generally non-slip (SR), they provide optimal protection on contact.
Do you work in a professional field where repeated falls and handling of heavy objects are legion? Opt for maximum protection, with a shoe with a hard shell (S) and a high upper protecting the Achilles tendon.
Climatic conditions are also an element to be taken into account. For outdoor work or wet areas, the most suitable work shoes are the water-repellent models (WR and WRU). The choice will favor a warm model or an airy model depending on the ambient temperature of the workspace. There are models with increased thermal protection against cold or heat and even models with thermoregulatory technology (conservation of heat in winter, ventilation in summer).
In detail:
Foot injuries account for 7% of workplace injuries and injuries.
There are two main categories of foot injuries: the first includes punctures, lacerations, and crushing injuries, and the second includes slips, false movements, falls and excessive strain on the foot with bad shoes causing ankle sprains, tendonitis, heel spurs, calcaneal and diaphyseal fractures, plantar aponeurosis and other ligament and osteoarticular pathologies. Knowing how to choose your safety shoes for women helps prevent all these evils.
Easy-going materials
The main parts of a safety shoe are the upper, the vamp, the insole, the outsole, also called the “outsole” and finally the shell and the protective parts. All these elements are made of different materials with specific properties.
The upper (or vamp):
It can be made of leather. Full-grain leather gives the product a smooth appearance and good durability over time, subject to minimum maintenance (cleaning, waxing, possible greasing, etc.). This material will also ensure great flexibility to the shoe and good breathability. Cowhide leather, coarser, will bring more robustness. This material will excel for footwear worn in harsh and wet conditions.
Nubuck, a material derived from leather, has the same properties of flexibility and breathability as this one while resisting more blows because it does not mark.
Maintenance tip:
a blow of a blower (compressed air) and the dust disappears, your nubuck shoes will look like new again! Generally cheaper, PU uppers offer good waterproofing and a decent lifespan. PVC is also used for the uppers of boots and clogs, but a microfiber or nylon lining then provides comfort and thermal insulation.
The insole (or insole):
Fixed, in fabric, it will remain in place for the entire life of the shoe. Generally, antiperspirants are antifungal and antibacterial.
PU2D: Double density polyurethane sole. This synthetic material will provide comfort, flexibility, and resistance to abrasion. Generally pressed and molded, it allows the creation of anatomical shapes.
PU: Single density polyurethane sole: flexibility and comfort. Nitrile rubber: less comfortable than a PU sole but better resistant to contact heat (250°C), abrasion, and oils. There are different systems that improve comfort such as the VPS (suspended arch) or the air cushion insert in the heel that promotes cushioning.
The anti-perforation inserts are made of a metal plate or braided high-tensile fibers. The benefits of a fiber sole are flexibility and comfort, shock, and moisture absorption while protecting against punctures. This material is undetectable to the metal detector.
In detail:
In order to avoid certain types of infections specific to the wearing of safety shoes (“athlete’s foot”, fungal infections, calluses, etc.). It is essential to choose a suitable model (with good evacuation/absorption of sweat) and to maintain your work shoes as little as possible. For this, we advise you to ventilate them by removing the insole, they must also be put on and taken off only in the changing rooms, avoiding any contact with street shoes to prevent decontamination (especially chemicals).
Regarding food boots and clogs, their white color will directly highlight their state of cleanliness. Finally, it is imperative to regularly renew your safety shoes, their qualities being altered by excessive wear.
