Understanding your boots for safer steps

[HAIX Footwear UK]

When buying a new car, the technical specifications of the vehicle influence your final decision. Do you need an automatic? Central locking? GPS navigation system? The same logic and careful consideration should apply to choosing your next pair of safety boots – how will you use them, and what features matter most to you?

 

Forestry professionals need safety footwear to reduce injury risks when completing daily tasks. When purchasing safety boots, it can be easy to overlook the standards that distinguish a basic boot from specialised footwear. While you may assume that a standard launched in 2011 is less advanced than one launched in 2013, are you aware of what these two standards actually mean, and why both are important to you?

 

In part 1 of this two part series on safety footwear standards, we look at the EN standards that have developed over the years to ensure safety boots do what they are supposed to. In part 2, we outline the various classes of safety boots and what you should expect from each one.

 

Part 1 – Making sense of the standards

 

ESD CEI EN61340-5-1 – ESD, or electro static discharge, is an electrical discharge caused by the transfer of static from one object to another. Footwear with ESD certification is designed to reduce the amount of static energy built up in your body. It means the footwear can protect sensitive electronic devices from electrostatic discharge.

 

EN ISO 20345:2004 – This standard specifies that all safety footwear must have toe protection. This covers all footwear designed before 2004 and so will still be seen on older stocks. Products coming onto the market after June 2013 have to comply with the new and now more commonly used EN 20345:2011 standard. EN ISO 20345:2011 sets out new tougher minimum requirements for safety footwear.

 

EN ISO 20347:2012 - This is an umbrella standard, and encapsulates many other, more specific footwear safety standards that identify special risks. These are relevant depending on the type of occupation the footwear will be used for.

 

EN ISO 17249:2013 – This is the forestry standard to show resistance to chain saw cutting.

 

The above standards are minimum requirements and all safety footwear has the potential to boast more. Being aware of these core standards and what they actually mean will ultimately help you to be safer at work and make the right decision when purchasing footwear.

 

In the second post of this series we will discuss some of the most common features in forestry footwear. In the meantime, if there is a standard you would like to know more about, please contact the HAIX team who will be happy to assist you.

 

For more information on HAIX and its footwear, please visit haix.co.uk or your nearest distributor.