Ness
Junior Member
Outside a dog, a book is a man's best friend. Inside a dog, it's too dark to read!
Posts: 96
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Post by Ness on Mar 3, 2007 15:35:48 GMT 1
Hello!
I know that some people have raised concern re steel toe capped boots, especially regarding the expense.
There are a number of shops close to the site that have these from £20 - £25. They'll last you all your digging life and are a real investment in your safety.
I'll get names and telephone numbers of the next couple of weeks re York shops but you can always do a web search; you may well get them cheaper on line.
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kmb
New Member
Posts: 46
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Post by kmb on Mar 3, 2007 21:09:49 GMT 1
Or get a job within manufacturing where they have to supply them ;D
I've had my Doc Martin steelies for 5 yrs now! lol
K
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Post by Toby on Mar 4, 2007 20:19:39 GMT 1
We had a long think about the the boots thing and it would be too many hoops to jump through to not wear them (There would be restrictions on what digging could be done etc.). As you can see from the site pictures there is so much that can be done, we just don't want to be restricted.
It is worth having a look round and try some on before you buy (if we got lots of pairs they would never fit everybody properly which can be a worse health & safety risk than no boots at all). It will also mean that we do not have to throw away lots of pairs of very expensive trainers that people have trashed. You can actually get steel toe capped trainers if that tickles your fancy!
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Post by Pam on Mar 5, 2007 18:41:36 GMT 1
This week I am mostly wearing trainers.... These in fact.... They are comfy enough for general use - walking / gardening etc so I get plenty of wear out of them even when I am 'resting' (unemployed!). I bought mine at the Clad Safety shop in Harrogate and paid around £25 inc VAT. Just now I found the same ones on the net at www.alpinesafety.co.uk/acatalog/ECJ_TRAINERS.html at £25 + VAT. That design starts at size 5 but there are others at the same place such as Chukkas which are cheaper and go down to size 3. A number of other online safety wear shops do ladies ranges so there shouldn't be a problem for anyone with 'ickle feet ! People with size 6 and up have a lot of choice ! You can pay as little or as much as you want. Big name brands like DeWalt and Timberland are more expensive but if you aren't too worried about looks you can't go wrong with a cheap pair of Chukkas - cheapest I came across was £12+VAT.... not a lot to pay for safe feet and to save doing any damage to your 'street' shoes !
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keiths
Junior Member
Posts: 57
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Post by keiths on Mar 7, 2007 21:41:29 GMT 1
Someone who was thinking of applying has found some with hard plastic toecaps instead of steel, apparently they are as effective, but a bit lighter. Does anyone know if these are acceptable?
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Post by Toby on Mar 8, 2007 9:37:15 GMT 1
Not sure about that? If they check with the shop they should be able to tell them if they are acceptable as protective footwear under H&S regulations.
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Post by rowena on Mar 8, 2007 12:27:51 GMT 1
I think if they dont have the BS symbol n number then they wouldnt be included by insurance etc. But they probably are better than nothing.
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fee
Junior Member
Posts: 80
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Post by fee on Mar 8, 2007 12:51:54 GMT 1
With regards to weight (and the plastic toe-caps), I don't find my trainer-style steels much heavier than my actual trainers - but maybe I have heavy trainers?! I noticed last summer that a fair number of people were wearing leather walking boots, which are a comparable weight to the trainer-type steels, and considerably more expensive. I don't know whether that adds much to this thread, but £25, or thereabouts, will get you a decent pair of steels, not too heavy, which can be used for many other things (see Pam's post above).
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Post by Toby on Mar 8, 2007 13:14:54 GMT 1
If they do not have the BS number thingy they are not protective footwear and would not be suitable for coming on the site. The insurance we have means that you would not be covered and therefore not able to do the site work.
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Post by Pam on Mar 8, 2007 21:49:36 GMT 1
The standard that most makes/shops/online stores seem to use is the European EN Standard number, rather than a British BS Standard number. The EN you need is EN345, which is the one that requires a safety toe-cap to protection to 200 joules. As long as the boot complies to EN345 then it should be acceptable, either steel toe cap or composite.
For added protection I would recommend looking for a steel / composite anti-puncture sole or mid-sole which should prevent serious injury in the event of accidentally standing on anything sharp on site!
Some EN345 boots/shoes/trainers may also have a suffix S-something which indicates what optional standard requirements the boots also comply to. Mine, for example are EN345 S1P.
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Ness
Junior Member
Outside a dog, a book is a man's best friend. Inside a dog, it's too dark to read!
Posts: 96
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Post by Ness on Mar 8, 2007 23:18:08 GMT 1
So, if you can't find cheap, British Safety Standard boots after all the information here, well, there's no hope for any of us. Excellent stuff! Has saved me doing it Thanks Pam! Back to the sawing up of slags!
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Post by Toby on Mar 8, 2007 23:19:34 GMT 1
Ta for the info Pam.
Well that looks pretty simple then. I must admit mine have no midsole and they are more comfortable to walk in than my last pair that did have one.
I had a look in the shop round the corner from site at lunchtime today. They have lots of different ones in for £20-25... all are proper safety ones. Even if you cannot get them before we have a good supplier just round the corner from site.
I always make sure mine are cocal cola resistant, just for the odd spillage that may occur or when crushing cans for recycling.
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Post by Toby on Mar 8, 2007 23:21:45 GMT 1
Ness...... when did you become a low rent magician? (Joke... and a poor one at that)
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Ness
Junior Member
Outside a dog, a book is a man's best friend. Inside a dog, it's too dark to read!
Posts: 96
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Post by Ness on Mar 10, 2007 18:52:11 GMT 1
Actually, that was quite good. Not your usual level of taking the mick out of me, I'll admit, but not bad.
8.5 from the Irish Judge (ha!)
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Paul
Junior Member
Yay !!!
Posts: 75
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Post by Paul on Mar 18, 2007 4:23:11 GMT 1
And for any antipodeans out there, the Aus/NZ standard is:- AS/NZS 2210.3 - specification for safety footwear with an impact rating of up to 200 joules; Hooroo. Paul /Picture of an early prototype that was found to have slight flaws (colour was wrong)
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