Appropriately protecting the worker’s feet is vital to ensuring total health and safety while performing any service. Therefore, choosing a correct safety shoe that complies with safety standards is essential. However, choosing this fundamental PPE can be difficult as there is a wide variety of products across the market.
Another essential detail is choosing an appropriately sized shoe. Shoes that are too small or too large can cause problems for the worker, so it’s critical to make sure the shoes fit snugly—both for the worker’s needs and for the characteristics of the service to be performed.
Whether by size or functionality, you will see some references and instructions in this article, which will clarify your doubts and help you choose the right safety shoe. Check out!
Preliminary Risk Analysis
Therefore, safety shoes, like any other personal protective equipment, should be used when the risks present in the work environment cannot be avoided through collective protection or work organization measures, methods, or procedures (usage principle).
The risk analysis does not respond to pre-established criteria and must be carried out by the employer, taking into account the origin and form of the risks (falling objects, blows, crushing, perforations, etc.). On the other hand, risk analysis must be rigorous and not simple qualitative assessments. On the contrary, the approximate quantification of risks is of great importance.
It is not enough to refer to the risk of falling objects or crushing. Emphasis should be placed on your approximate weight, fall from height, free fall or projected speed impacts, etc. It should also specify data related to the temperature and humidity of the working environment, corrosive environment, contact with water, solvents, corrosive or non-corrosive liquids, and any others that help to complete the analysis.
Necessary Characteristic For Each Risk
Once the risks have been analyzed, the next step is to define the safety footwear requirements to respond effectively to the risks present in the workplace. For this, a series of factors specific to the origin and form of the assessed risks will be taken into account, such as:
- Freefall impact resistance;
- Resistance to object projections at speed;
- Crush resistance;
- Puncture resistance;
- Resistance to bending;
- The corrosion resistance of metal bolts and safety models;
- Resistance to chemical agents;
- Impermeability to water, solvents, etc.;
- Non-slip sole characteristics;
- Resistance to contact with glowing particles or high temperatures.
Risk quantification involves determining the performance of the shoes so that they are appropriate for the risks that need to be protected.
Footwear For The Defined Characteristics And Risks
After defining the performance of the Danner shoes needed to respond to the risks in the workplace, the shoes that exist on the market with these characteristics must be checked. Safety footwear must be validated and guaranteed by ISO 9001/2008. In addition, it must be appropriately analyzed and credited by authorized laboratories and have the CA issued by the Ministry of Labor (MTE).