Safety boots and safety shoes are types of footwear protection equipment used in offering foot protection against punctures, cuts, burns, heavy impact, and more. They are available in different brands such as Vaultex safety boots, Ultimate Plus safety boots, Allen Cooper safety shoes, porcupine safety boots, Rocklander safety boots, anchor safety boots, and Safety joggers.
They differ in where to use and prices.
All about Safety Boots and Safety Shoes
What is a safety boot?
Safety boots are durable safety footwear that have a reinforced steel toe cap which offers maximum protection to one’s feet.
Where can I buy safety boots?
Buy best, durable and comfortable safety boots from Kenya’s leading PPE supplier Safety Hub Enterprises Limited. We have a great choice of styles and colors for the safety shoes. Our taste of brands includes Ultimate Plus, vaultex, Allen Cooper, Rocklander, and Safety Jogger.
Where can I buy safety boots?
Buy the best, durable, and comfortable safety boots from Kenya’s leading PPE supplier Safety Hub Enterprises Limited. We have a great choice of styles and colors for the safety shoes.
What is the benefit of using safety boots?
Prevention is key! Safety boots protect one’s feet against injuries such as burns, cuts, punctures, and other injuries that one can get at the workplace.
In most workplaces accidents are prone to occur. There it is key for employees to be fully equipped with the correct PPEs and safety boots
Should safety boots have a steel toe?
Due to the hazardous nature of work sites, extra protection for the safety boots is required. Safety boots should have steel toe caps to protect the user’s feet against injury.
It is important to note that not all safety boots have a steel toe, others do have composite toe caps. The composite toe caps are made from carbon fiber and are lighter than the steel toe boots.
What are S3 Safety boots?
S3 safety boots are protective footwear that are designed by certain European safety standards EN ISO 20345.
Some of the standards include,
-The boots should have a 200-joule impact steel toe cap.
– The boots should have great midsole penetration resistance. Some have a steel midsole plate.
– The standards also dictate that the boots are already tested to offer protection against water, oil, and acid.
Can safety boots be used for hiking?
These solely depend on the type of safety boot that you choose. At Safety Hub, we have different types of safety boots that we would recommend for use during hiking.
It is also recommended that when choosing hiking boots consider boots that offer extra in-built protection and cushion. You should also consider other features such as breathable specs and anti-slip specifications.
Please do note that we do not recommend you use safety boots for hiking as they are not made mostly for hiking purposes. However, some features do overlap.
How to choose the right safety boot?
Before buying safety boots, it is important to check the specifications that match the particular environment where you are going to use them.
For instance, if you work at a place where electrical charges pose a great risk, then go for safety boots that have the omega safety sign. The omega safety sign shows that the safety shoes are impervious to electric current flow.
Safety boots ratings and their meaning
The green Triangle
This sign show that the safety boot has class 1 and grade 1 sole. This simply means that boots that have this feature are very strong and have great impact resistance in cases of heavy falls on the feet.
The Yellow Triangle
The sign shows that the safety boots has class 2 toe cap and grade 2 sole. This simply means that are slight weaker though also good in terms of puncture resistance and wear and tear.
White square with the orange omega symbol
This signage shows that the safety boots offer protection against electric shock. It means that the boots are insulated and an electric current cannot pass through them to get to the user’s body.
Therefore, if you work in an area with electric charges, then you should look for a safety boot with such features.
Yellow square with SD Letters.
This signage shows that the boots have been approved to offer anti-static protection. If you work in areas containing static charges, then a boot with this signage is ideal as it shows that the boot has the ability to dissipate anti-static charges.
Red Square with Black Letter C
This signage is a WARNING to users not to use these types of boots in environs where there is huge risk to electrical connection.
However, the boots can be used in other areas such is construction sites.
Green Fir Tree on White background signage.
This signage shows that the boots can be used to protect your feet and toes against sharp appliances such as chainsaws.
Thus, these boots are good for people in forested areas.
Which one is better safety boots or safety shoes?
In the comparison for safety boots and safety shoes, none can be said to be superior to the other. However, if your working environment is very dusty and muddy the safety boots are most ideal. On the other hand, if you work at less muddy and less dusty areas then safety boots are ideal.
In short, safety boots provide protection to one’s feet ankles and lower legs while the safety shoes provide protection to only one’s feet.
What are safety shoes?
Safety shoes are protective footwear have durable soles to protect against punctures and have the steel toe caps just like the S3 safety boots.
Although safety shoes provide cover to the whole feet, they don’t cover your ankles and lower legs as in the case for the safety boots.
Which are the qualities of a good safety boot?
A good safety boot should offer maximum comfort to the user. In the modern world, people are very busy and need minimum destruction while working. Other people operate very dangerous machines that require maximum concentration. Therefore, a comfortable safety boot is paramount.
Are safety boots a legal requirement?
In most jobs, safety boots are mandatory and considered as a requirement. For example, for a machine operator and companies with slippery floor, safety boots is paramount.
What are ANSI Safety boots?
ANSI safety boots are protective footwear manufactured in accordance to ANSI Z41-1999 safety standards and performance
These type of safety boots are designed to offer feet protection against hazardous work sites and should pass the compression and impact lab test
Where do I get Ansi safety boots? At Safety Hub Enterprises, we have a variety of safety boots in different styles to meet your taste and preferences.
Why buy ANSI Certified safety boots?
Safety boots is a very integral type of PPE. Construction sites and industrial workers pose a huge risk of feet injury due to the nature of their work.
ANSI Certified safety boots provide maximum feet protection and at the same time guarantee you optimum comfort during your day-to-day activities
What are the features/specifications of ANSI certified safety boots?
Before you purchase you new pair of safety boots, first consider if the features or specifications of the boots you want to purchase meet your expectations.
ANSI Certified safety boots have vital features that guarantee you maximum comfort. These features include:
Impact and compression resistant
These types of boots offer impact and compression protection hence providing excellent protection. The impact test is designated to check the effect for example I/50 or I/70-pound weight may cause if dropped to a specific point
Electrical hazards
ANSI safety boots are built to offer protection against electric current upto 600 volts. ANSI boots that offer protection against electrical hazards all undergo lab testing.
These lab testing is meant to evaluate the voltage that the boot can with and the duration taken. This, therefore, guarantees users 99.99% protection.
Feet guards
ANSI Certified safety boots have the metatarsal feet guard that protect the toes from injury due to falling objects.
The toe caps may be fitted both externally and internally to fit the client’s needs.
The feet guards prevent injuries on the metatarsal bones thus enables users to have free movement.
Puncture Resistant Soles
ANSI safety shoes are puncture resistant and are tested to withhold a force of 270 pounds. This means that theses boots can resist puncture from even sharp objects.
What is the difference between ASTM and ANSI Safety boots?
ANSI safety boots are manufactured to meet ANSI Z41 standard which stipulates that the safety boots have undergone thorough lab testing to prove that they meet the following standards:
- The boots are tested and approved on puncture resistance
- The safety boots have a toe cap to offer the feet maximum protection
- The safety boots provide electrical insulation
The ANSI standards also allow the use of add-on to provide extra protection. Such add-ons include metatarsal guards which protect the metatarsal bones on your feet from injury.
However, for the ASTM standards, these safety boots are manufactured to ensure that the outsole is completely insulated to offer protection against electric shocks
The ASTM boots also do not allow the use of add-ons to offer extra protection. The ASTM standards are categorised into two namely: ASTM F2413 standards and ASTM F2412 standards. These standards are determined by the level of performance for the boots
Which safety boot is better ANSI certified or the S3 Safety Boots
S3 Safety boots are better safety boots compared the ANSI Certified safety boots. S3 safety boots comprises of the recently developed safety boots and contain additional safety features compared to the ANSI boots.
Some of the additional safety features include moisture resistance. The S3 safety boots are moisture resistance thus enabling users to use this type of boot even in moist areas. Hence, no risk against diseases such as arthritis
What is the importance of ANSI Certified safety boots
They help reduce absenteeism to do injuries. Ansi safety shoes are help reduce foot burns from spillage of chemicals.
In addition, the ANSI safety shoes also protect users from electric shock caused by open electric circuits.
How much do safety boots cost?
Safety boots have a range of prices which is determined by a number of factors. Some of the factors include, the manufacturer and the qualities/features of the safety boots. However, at Safety Hub, we supply high quality boots with a balance of pricing and quality. Our safety boots price ranges from kes 2500 to kes 7500. These safety shoes have been tested by the Kenyan market and approved for use in very many companies and factories.
What colors for the safety boots are available?
Most safety boots whether S3, ANSI or ASTM standards basically come in black, grey and white. However, the dominantly available and most sort after color is black as the boot has low maintenance costs
Which sizes are available for the certified safety boots?
Safety shoes sizes depend mostly of the country of origin. For instance, safety boots from Europe come in Europe sizes from size 38- size 48 whereases safety boots from the United Kingdom come in different UK sizes.
How do you clean and maintain safety boots?
Cleaning and maintenance of safety boots is not a tedious task. It only involves wiping the safety boots with a moist fabric to remove dirt. The safety boots should also be polished with the best polisher just like the normal shoes and kept under room temperature. Do not directly expose the safety boots as this may lead to early cracking of the boots.
What type of sole do safety boots have?
The sole is a vital element for the safety boots. It is the sole of the safety boots that determine the kind of place the user should work. For instance, for the slip resistant soles, they are designed for use in slippery areas so as to provide additional grip on wet surfaces. Some of the compounds used when making safety boots include rubber, polyurethane and polyvinyl chloride. All these compounds ensure that the safety boot soles are crack resistant and the don’t tear or puncture easily.
