Steel-toe Boots

Steel-toe boots (also known as safety toe boots,conductive. Fir Tree indicates protection against
steel-capped boots or safety boots) are durablechain-saws.
boots or shoes that have a protectiveIn the United States, the applicable standard for
reinforcement in the toe, usually combined with aprotective footwear is ASTM standards F
sole plate, which protect the foot from falling2412-05, Standard Test Methods for Foot
objects and punctures from below. TraditionallyProtection and ASTMF 2413-05, Standard
made of steel, the reinforcement can also beSpecification for Performance Requirements for
made of a composite material, or a plastic suchFoot Protection.
as thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU). Steel-toeOSHA requires compliance of ANSI Z41.1-1991,
boots are important in the construction industry"American National Standard for Personal
and in many industrial settings. Occupational safetyProtection-Protective Footwear," if purchased
and health legislation or insurance requirementsafter July 5, 1994 [2].
may require the use of such boots in someIf purchased before July 5, 1994, ANSI standard
settings, and may mandate certification of such"USA Standard for Men's Safety-Toe Footwear,"
boots and the display of such certification directlyZ41.1-1967 [3].
on the boots. In Canada, certified boots have aCalifornia has updated its regulations with the new
Canadian Standards Association green triangle on2005 ASTM standards F 2412-05, Standard Test
them.Methods for Foot Protection and ASTM F
<a rel="nofollow"2413-05, Standard Specification for Performance
onclick="javascript:pageTracker._trackPageview('Requirements for Foot Protection.
outgoing/article_exit_link');" href=" leatherGenerally, a safety-shoe is a shoe that follows at
pants</a>Safety footwear now comes inleast one of five criterion. You can determine
many styles, including sneakers and clogs. Somewhich criteria your safety-shoes adhere to by
are quite formal, for supervising engineers wholooking for CSA's(Canada's Standard Association)
must visit sites where protective footwear isalphanumerical code found inside the shoe. This
mandatory.code is made up of a combination of 5 different
A myth about steel-toe boots is that the insertssymbols: 1, 2 or 0 P or 0 M or 0 E, S or C X or 0
actually create a more dangerous environment,The first code indicates if the shoe has a
because a significant weight could cause the steelsteel-toe cap(a metal shell embedded on top of
to act like a blade, severing the toe instead of thethe toes part of the shoe). "0" means there is
weight simply crushing the foot. However, thenone. "1" means that there is, and it resists an
weight needed to induce such a failure wouldimpact of 125 joules(22.7 kg object falling from 56
result in such severe damage to the toe thatcm above). "2" means that it resists an impact of
amputation would be necessary anyway.[1].90 joules.
Some brands of steel-toe footwear, particularlyThe second code indicates if the shoe has soles
Dr. Martens and Grinders, have becomethat protect the arches of the feet from
fashionable within subcultures such as skinhead,punctures. "P" means it does. "O" means it doesn't.
punk, and rivethead.The third code indicates if the shoe has a
Most safety shoes have symbols on the outside,metatarsus protection against shocks and
to indicate the protection the shoe offers.collisions. "M" means it does. "O" doesn't.
Examples are:Green Triangle indicates that it is aThe fourth code indicates the shoe's electrical
class 1 toe cap with puncture resistant sole.properties. "E" means it resists electrical shocks.
Yellow Triangle indicates that it is a class 2 toe"S" means it disperses static electrical. "C" means
cap with puncture resistant sole. White Squareit conducts electricity.
(with ohm symbol) indicates electrical protection.This last code is found only on shoes that protect
Yellow Square(with SD) indicates anti-staticthe foot from chainsaws. "X" it does, "O" does
protection. Red Square(with C) indicates electricallynot.