WHY DO YOU
NEED SPECIALIST
CHEMICAL
FOOTWEAR?
Harmful chemicals pose a wide range of health
hazards (such as irritation, sensitization, and
carcinogenicity) and physical hazards (such as
flammability, corrosion, and explosiveness).
Employers with hazardous chemicals in their workplaces must
ensure that they are labelled correctly, with safety data sheets
easily accessible and that employees are trained how to handle
them appropriately. Training for employees must also include
information on the hazards of the chemicals in their work area
and the measures to be used to protect themselves.
The ideal way to protect yourself from any chemical is to keep
well away from it; any other mode of protection is ultimately a
compromise. For this reason, if elimination or substitution of
the chemical are not possible, engineering and work practice
controls are the preferred means to reduce employee exposure
to toxic chemicals, where feasible. Personal Protective
Equipment (PPE) is the least desirable measure but is highly
effective when used correctly.
Chemical protective footwear forms an important part of an overall
PPE solution. Depending on the nature of the chemical and the
exposure some or all of the following may be required to provide
effective protection.
• Chemical protective clothing
This could be a single piece suit, or separate jacket & trousers
and may incorporate a hood or even completely encapsulate
the wearer if their breathing air is supplied by an air-line or
breathing apparatus.
• Respiratory protection
This can range from a simple facemask respirator, to powered
respirators or supplied air from breathing apparatus or air-line.
If air is being filtered it is vital to check the efficacy of the filter
against the chemicals to which the wearer is exposed and that
there is sufficient oxygen in the atmosphere.
• Eye protection
This can be provided by goggles, a full face mask or from a suit
with an integral visor.
• Chemical protective gloves
These need to provide sufficient protection from the chemical
to which the wearer may be exposed, but also provide
sufficient mechanical protection for the challenges of the job
and working environment
• Chemical protective boots
Similarly to gloves, boots need to protect against the
chemicals that the wearer may be exposed, but also provide
protection against other environmental risk factors such
as slipping on wet floors, injury from falling objects or
electrostatic sparks in explosive or flammable environments.
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 handling chemicals.
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 withstanding the contact with chemicals will help you a lot.
After having seen a list of the main activities in this field, let’s now talk about the risks that your feet take if in your work you are often in contact with chemical substances.
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.
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:
• Washing chemical products: if in your work environment there are often large amounts of chemical substances on the floor, but no risk of splattering, then a pair of steel toe safety shoes with soles made of pure rubber is enough. If the chemicals are not highly corrosive the upper of the shoes can as well be of microfiber, but in case of strong acids or other kinds of aggressive chemical substances the use of polymeric rain boots is highly recommended.
Safety footwear for handling chemical products: construction of batteries and use of cleaning chemicals
• Construction of batteries: in this job one often comes into contact with the acids of batteries. Such acids are very aggressive for the soles of your footwear. Slipping and suffering bad falls is a considerable risk as well, when the floor is wet. An article of safety footwear with soles made of pure rubber is advisable. When there’s also a risk of liquid sprays, it’s better to choose polymeric rain boots.
• Cleaning with chemicals: some cleaning jobs must be done using abundant water and some additives such as soap or chemical products. In this type of job the risks for your feet are contamination, getting wet and chemical burns. It is advisable to use regular safety shoes with polymeric overshoes, or a good pair of polymeric rain boots in order to be protected at all times at work.
Safety shoes for handling chemicals: recycling and nuclear energy
• Recycling of chemical products: when it comes to the recycling of such products, I suggest you use polymeric boots with resistance to chemical substances.
• Nuclear power plants: if the risk of coming into contact with chemical products is not particularly high, a pair of metal-free composite toe safety shoes is enough. Puncture-resistance is not always obligatory, so sometimes a “PR” puncture resistant product is ok as well.