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 the mechanical industry.
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 the mechanical industry: type of tasks
Most likely you work in the presence of automated handling systems or other kinds of machines, interconnected as to build production lines.
A good pair of safety shoes for your application should protect your feet, but at the same time it should let them breathe, so that a good article of safety footwear suited for the mechanical engineering industry will help you a lot.
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:
- Using the welding torch: you’ll need safety shoes that offer protection from sparks, and such protection is usually given by a leather flange that covers the laces. Some workers use riggers (leather ankle boots) because they have no laces, whereas others prefer to wear shoes that can withstand sprays of molten metals (shoes that comply with the standard 20349: these ones offer the best possible protection).
Best “20349” picks by SafetyShoesToday
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- Cutting metal: many workers in this fields use safety shoes equipped with metatarsal protection (“M” marking), to be safe in case of accidents, as in this kind of job dangerous pieces of metal can hit the feet. It’s also recommended that your safety shoes have a water-resistant upper (S2 or S3. S3 shoes are better, because they also have puncture-resistant soles).
Best “M” picks by SafetyShoesToday
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Amazon.co.uk
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Amazon.co.uk
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Safety shoes for the mechanical industry: assembly and maintenance
- Assembly: a flexible outsole (of PU/PU or PU/TPU) is highly recommended, because in this job one works in several uncomfortable positions. Generally the resistance to water infiltrations is not necessary, but breathability is a must. An S1 or S1P product is a great choice in this case.
- General maintenance: you’ll need regular and comfortable safety shoes, therefore a good insole, a sole made of PU/PU and water-resistant leather (S2 or S3) are vital characteristics to do your best work.
Best “S1P” picks by SafetyShoesToday
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Amazon.co.uk
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Safety shoes for the mechanical industry: cleaning services
- Cleaning services: if this is your job you probably often have wet feet. The use of S4 or S5 polymeric boots will protect your feet against moisture and the risk of slipping (preferably with slip-resistant SRC soles). If you want to use leather safety shoes, it would be preferable to choose a waterproof product (S3 WR SRC).
Best “WR” picks by SafetyShoesToday
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Safety shoes for the mechanical industry: 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 the mechanical industry sector.
Of course it is not possible to list all the potential risks of a job in this sector, 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 of the sector are:
- Wet feet;
- Extremely slippery floor;
- Impacts or compressions in the toe area.
Safety shoes for the mechanical industry: types of protection and required features
Almost every shoe type has versions that offer long-lasting protection. In this case, a valid article of safety footwear suited for working the engineering industry should have the following characteristics:
- Water-resistant upper (S3);
- Protective toecap;
- Puncture-resistant outsole;
- Extreme resistance to abrasion (full grains leather or printed leather);
- Metatarsal protection (M marking).
Moreover, the sole should be of all types except of pure PU, whereas the toecap can be of any material and type.
Safety shoes for the mechanical industry: 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.
- S3 Safety shoes. More information about S3 safety shoes here.
- “M” Safety shoes, with metatarsal protection.
Safety shoes for the mechanical industry, 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!
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