For sale there is a wide choice of safety footwear, and at first sight all products look the same. However, there are great differences between different types. My goal is to teach you how to distinguish the correct genre of safety shoes for each work environment. To be more precise, in this article I will talk about safety shoes for foundries.
I will try to give you an idea of what type of safety shoes is the most appropriate for your workplace and, in general, for your needs.
Of course it is not possible to list all the potential risks, but those that follow are the most important.
I am sure that this article will help you to choose the perfect type of safety shoes for your needs.
Safety shoes for foundries: types of tasks
In this kind of job one often works outside. Winter, summer, cold, hot, rain: any weather condition can occur. The right kind of safety footwear for your needs should protect your feet, but at the same time it should let them breathe, so that a good article of safety shoes suited for working in a foundry will be of great help.
But a job in this sector doesn’t involve a single task. Therefore, the risks are different according to the activity you perform, and so do the type of safety footwear you should wear.
The main jobs of the sector are:
• Metal recycling: in this type of job one must be very careful about the safety of his feet, because there are many risky situations such as hits, cuts to the sides, frontal impacts and bad falls due to sliding. Your safety footwear should therefore be made of sturdy materials. The best material for the outsole is nitrile rubber “HRO” and the upper must be of high-quality leather and equipped with a protective toecap.
Best “HRO” picks by SafetyShoesToday
Amazon.co.uk
Amazon.co.uk
Safety shoes for foundries: molten metals and laminating
• Activities involving molten metal: if this is your job you will need specific safety footwear certified EN 20349, which will protect you against the potential contact with molten metal.
• Laminating process: this job is normally carried out in very hot and damp environments. In such environments it is difficult to wear S1P safety shoes (although the use of water-resistant footwear is highly recommended), so an S3 product is the best choice in this case. It is enough to make sure that the safety shoes you buy have a good breathability, to ensure a good level of comfort.
Best “20349” picks by SafetyShoesToday
Amazon.co.uk
Amazon.co.uk
Amazon.co.uk
Safety shoes for foundries: finishing process and logistics of metal
• Finishing process: some finishing processes are realized with chemical substances, therefore it is necessary to use sturdy shoes certified EN 12382; if, on the other hand, you want to use regular safety shoes, you should at least look for a product equipped with nitrile rubber (marking “HRO”).
• Logistics of metals: regardless of the way the logistical work is carried out you are going to need regular safety ankle boots with protective steel toecap, or safety shoes with metatarsal protection “M”. Nowadays there are two different types of metatarsal protection, that is to say, internal and external.
Best “M” picks by SafetyShoesToday
Amazon.co.uk
Amazon.co.uk
Amazon.co.uk
Amazon.co.uk
Amazon.co.uk
Amazon.co.uk
Amazon.co.uk
Safety shoes for foundries: types of risks
After having seen a list of the main activities in this field, let’s now talk about the risks that your feet take if you work in a foundry.
Of course it is not possible to list all the potential risks of a job in this field, but the following are the most common. I am sure that this article will help you to choose the perfect type of safety shoes for your needs.
You must buy safety shoes to work, but you don’t know what features they should have?
You wish you had a clearer idea of the risks that you take every day in your job?
Now I am going to show you what the main risks for a worker in this sector are, to help you choose the perfect safety shoes for your needs.
What are the risks for your feet? And what are the solutions that can be found for sale?
The main risks are:
• Low visibility;
• Extremely slippery floor;
• Burns due to molten metal;
• Impacts or compressions in the toe area.
Safety shoes for foundries: types of protection and required characteristics
Almost every shoe type has versions that offer long-lasting protection. In this case, a valid article of safety footwear suited for working in a foundry must have the following characteristics:
• Reflective stripes;
• Protective toecap;
• Protection from molten metal (EN 20349);
• Puncture-resistance (S3 footwear);
• Slip-resistance (SRC).
Moreover, the outsole should be preferably made of nitrile rubber “HRO”, whereas the toecap should be made of metallic material (steel or aluminum) and equipped with fast-release systems.
Safety shoes for foundries: required products
• UNI EN ISO 20345: personal protective equipment – Specifications for general purpose safety shoes. This footwear is equipped with a toecap that protects the wearer from impacts and crushes in the toe area. The toecap can withstand forces of 200J and pressure loads of at least 15kN.
• UNI EN ISO 20349;
• S3 safety footwear. More information about S3 safety footwear here.
• Safety footwear with resistance to molten metal, certified 20349.
Safety shoes for foundries, what do you think?
These are the features that I recommend that you check if you are looking for the perfect pair of safety shoes for your needs.
As soon as you get yourself the right product, you will be much safer at work.
I guarantee that if you wear the right type of safety footwear, you will live a better work experience!
What do you think about this type of safety shoes?
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