The electrical resistance of safety shoes is really important, this topic should be used to do a responsible purchase of safety footwear. Every type of work has its characteristics and any worker should wear the right safety shoes with the right electrical resistance.
In this article I will tell you about Antistatic safety shoes, while in other articles I will talk about ESD safety shoes, Conductive safety shoes and Isolating safety shoes.
The legislation on safety footwear helps to prevent damages caused by electrical discharges; but also learning more about the technical plus invented by manufacturers will help you a lot.
In this article I’ll explain to you something about Antistatic safety shoes, because on the market there are a number of footwear solutions for this purpose.
I bet you’ll be surprised by how easy it is to find the perfect product for yourself!
- You work in a gas station?
- You work in a computer company?
- You work in the production of fireworks?
- You work in contact with electricity?
Well, you definitely need to choose between different types of safety shoes with different electrical resistance, you might need to choose Antistatic safety shoes instead of ESD safety shoes, Conductive safety shoes or Isolating safety shoes.
Now I’ll technically explain to you what exists on the market and which technical specifications you have to look for the perfect Antistatic safety shoes for your needs.
The problem arising from not choosing safety footwear with the most befitted electrical resistance is that you can have many kinds of consequences, for example:
- if you are working with an electronic sensitive device and you generate an electrical spark you could damage the device, so you need another type of footwear (ESD safety shoes)
- if you work with explosives you could generate an electrical spark that generates an explosion, so you need another type of footwear (Conductive safety shoes)
- if you work in contact with electricity, for example in electrical maintenance, you could be injured by an electrical shock, so you need another type of footwear (Isolating safety shoes)
That’s why I strongly recommend that you make a good choice among Antistatic safety shoes and ESD, Conductive or Isolating safety shoes.
The marking of the Antistatic safety shoes is:
- A = “Antistatic” footwear. In a dry and in a wet atmosphere the electrical resistance shall be between 0,1 MΩ and 1000 MΩ (from 100 kΩ to 1000 MΩ). The antistatic footwear cannot guarantee adequate protection against electric shock as it only introduces a resistance between the foot and the floor.
In Europe the majority of safety shoes are antistatic, while in the US it is exactly the opposite. So it will be easy in the European market to find Antistatic safety shoes.
As the majority of safety shoes in Europe are antistatic you won’t find the “A” marking on all models, because all the norms are based on Antistatic safety shoes.
An example, an S3 shoe is antistatic, an O1 sandal is antistatic, a P2 rigger is antistatic, an S5 rubber boot is antistatic; ESD safety shoes, Conductive safety shoes and Isolating safety shoes, instead, need a special (and always shown) marking to be identified (respectively “ESD”, “C”, “I”).
Choose among the TOP Antistatic safety footwear selected by SafetyShoesToday:
Amazon.co.uk
Amazon.co.uk
ESD shoes are also antistatic, but they are part of a special range of antistatic footwear that protect not only the user but also the electronic sensitive devices against electrostatic discharges, you should buy these shoes if you need them, in other cases a simple antistatic shoe is good for you.
Best “ESD” pick by SafetyShoesToday:
Amazon.co.uk
Amazon.co.uk
Antistatic safety shoes are built by a construction method of the upper and a compound of the outsole that reduce the electrical resistance of the materials composing the footwear. You probably know that all polymeric materials are normally electricity-resistant, so the presence of additives in the compound of the outsoles change their properties, plus some construction details on the uppers.
When looking for a new pair of safety footwear I suggest you to ask your safety manager what type of electrical resistance you need for your footwear, and choose Antistatic safety shoes when ESD safety shoes, Conductive safety shoes and Isolating safety shoes are not required.
Well, when you’ll have selected over the many Antistatic safety footwear you will be protected at work.
I guarantee you that if you use the right Antistatic safety shoes you’ll live a better working experience.
What do you think about Antistatic safety footwear?
Do you have points to add?
Please write your comments below!
