Selection criteria
There are several criteria for choosing safety shoes.
According to the season. Safety footwear can be winter, summer and demi-season.
By varieties. In addition to the well-known types (boots, sandals, boots), there are various lesser-known varieties: chuvyaki, high fur boots, ankle boots and others.
Degree of protection
In our country, this characteristic is little known, but it is important in the EU countries. The degree of protection of work shoes is indicated by the letter S and numbers from 1 to 3
The letter P is used for safety footwear. The degree of protection of professional footwear is marked from "01" to "03". Properties increase with an increase in the indicator.
Size and other dimensions of shoes. Most often, safety shoes do not stretch over time and are unlikely to "lie on the leg". Therefore, if you have found a suitable model for yourself, but this size is not yours, then it is better to refuse to purchase, since the subsequent wear will cause many problems.
The most important part of any shoe is the sole. Protective equipment should be non-slip, thick and flexible.
Review of Vostok SB working boots, see below.
Materials (edit)
Earlier in our country, the range of special footwear was limited only to tarpaulin work boots and various rubber products. These days, the range of safety shoes available is wide and there are even models of safety sandals. Each category of safety footwear is made from different materials. The range is extensive: protective equipment can be made not only from genuine leather, but also from various artificially obtained ultra-strong fibers. All safety footwear can be divided into 3 main groups:
- leather models, or models made from other materials that replace natural leather, but are identical to it;
- rubber models, or models made of PVC;
- felted or felt models.
They are made from a large number of hard and soft materials, some types of which are developed by manufacturers themselves.
A special insole - anti-puncture - is most often made of Kevlar (a special fiber that is resistant to punctures and cuts with sharp objects) or other fibers. Sometimes additional soles made of metal or other durable materials are inserted to reinforce the main sole. Most modern manufacturers try to make their products from environmentally friendly materials, but this is not yet a common practice.
Requirements
In many manufacturing plants, it is compulsory to wear safety footwear. Previously, the design of such equipment was not given due attention, but now, improving the quality of their goods, manufacturers have begun to focus on this aspect as well.
These are just the basic requirements. Dwelling on this topic in more detail, it is worth mentioning more specific requirements for equipment of this type, depending on the degree of protection specified by the manufacturers. There are several degrees of shoe protection:
- the lowest requires that the shoe be equipped with an antistatic and oil-resistant sole, as well as a shock absorber in the heel;
- the middle degree, in addition to the above-mentioned details, also includes a water-repellent top;
- the highest degree of protection also includes a puncture-resistant outsole.
In addition, special types of footwear can be equipped, depending on their purpose, with various additional components, such as frost-resistant, anti-slip or heat-resistant sole. The shoe can also be completely water repellent and protects the arch of the foot.
Popular models
The release of safety footwear is not large-scale, and brands that produce quality safety shoes are not very well known among most people. Let's talk about the best models of protective equipment for work, as well as some of the manufacturers that specialize in it.
Let's start with the classics. The Chippewa GQ Apache Lacer men's boots are shoes that will protect against punctures and impacts from heavy objects. This model is one of the most common and will cost about $ 200.
If we talk about rubber boots, then the products of such manufacturers as Crocs, Hunter, Baffin, Fisherman Out of Ireland and others are of good quality.
