Protective gear came a long way from wooden clogs. Today, it’s a whole system of pieces which are utilized to give you the most protection on the job. However, there’s a piece of equipment that’s almost overlooked regardless of its true importance.
The piece is safety-toe boots.
Where You Can Find Safety-Toe Boots
Luckily, you can go online and find quality safety toe work boots. There are a bunch of brands, models, and shops you can order safety boots from.
That’s if you know how to pick the right boots for the type of jobs you are doing. Safety boots aren’t universal. They are specially made for particular industries to harness their features completely.
For example, you can buy boots with a steel-toe reinforcement for construction sites. But, if you wear them for logging, you’ll slip and lack balance. That’s why there are Logger boots, which provide better balance, more friction, and are lighter.
With them, you can chop and saw wood, while remaining in balance on changing wood surfaces. But, it wasn’t like that. There was a lot of development before safety boots came to be as you know them.
How Safety-Toe Boots Came To Be
The distant relative of PPE boots is wooden clogs! A long time ago, farmers used clogs to protect their feet from animals and punctures. The shape of the clog and hard-wood material prevented injuries and helped the farmers work longer.
Yet, the whole thing changed with the industrial revolution. As the industry progressed and people started working with various metals, alloys, and chemicals. Additionally, there weren’t any laws like OSHA that dictated minimum security measures for particular industries.
So, workers of the past faced punctures, slips, breaks, chemicals, and they needed something to protect them. And, during WW2, Germans created the first steel-toe boots which helped their workers perform better, increase productivity, and remain safe.
Later on, the product traveled to the USA. There, various workers and industry specialists worked on the design and developed their brand of working boots. From there on, they became a standard of PPE, and that moment revolutionized the industry.
How Safety-Toe Boots Are Made
There are various methods to make safety-toe boots. Most commonly the boots are mass-produced in factories. There are special shops in which you can buy handmade models. Yet, most popular brands have factories where the boots are made.
The way to produce them remains the secret since no brand is the same. The brands differ on various features each model has. Some models are better for outdoors, some are better for special jobs and industries, and some are made from amazing materials.
Regardless, the process for making the boots remains almost the same. The first thing you need to construct is the sole. The sole determines the rest of the boot. When you construct the sole, you’ll finish the rest of the boot to enhance the full potential of the sole.
After that, the boot is complete and ready for use.
Safety-Toe Boots Use
Today, the safety-toe boots application is almost limitless. Their main function is in the construction industry. The original use of the steel-toe box invention is to protect workers from sharp metals, hot liquids, slippery surfaces, and electrical currents.
Since the workers are moving on metal constructions, there’ll be a lot of parts, edges, sharp objects, and falling parts to watch for. Even if the metal piece falls on your foot, the steel-toe boot will protect it from crushing or breaking.
As far as other industries go, the safety-toe boots can be enhanced with better alloys, composite materials, or other features to prevent an industry hazard. For example, if you are working in the oil excavation industry you need a sole with a firmer grip.
Since you are going to move to a lot on a slippery surface, the firmer grip will help you reduce injuries, and increase yours and your team’s safety.
That’s possible since each safety boot is developed for prevention and safety for a particular industry. Each provides you safety in a particular workplace.
Safety-Toe Boots Safety And Prevention
Aside from the steel-toe reinforcement, work boots are made so they can protect you from various hazards. For example, the most common ways to injure your feet during work is by punctures, slips, crushes, cold and heat exposure, and chemical hazards.
So, when you hear that they have special features, it often means they can help protect against certain hazards. For example, some boots are better against slippery surfaces. Others have better insulation, and some can stop chemicals from entering the inside of the boot.
Yet, you can’t buy a particular set of boots with a strict set of features. Instead, you browse through brands to get those that are best suited for your industry or job. Each brand produces boots with specific safety and prevention measures in mind.
Make sure you know them well enough before you make a purchase.
Industry Staple
Whichever model you pick, you won’t go wrong. Boots are a staple PPE.
It’s an investment in productivity and career. And, that’s an investment you want to make.
